THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINIANA 


CB 
Ml82m 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00032695799 


-m 


This  book  must  not 
be  taken  from  the 
Library  building. 


MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 


OF 


DOLLY  MADISON 


WIFE  OF  JAMES  MADISON,  PRESIDENT 
OF  THE  UNITED   STATES 


EDITED    BY 

HER  GRAND-NIECE 


MhtMn^tMcm 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

(C]^  Kitjerjsitie  pre??,  (STambritJije 

1886 


Cop^Tight,  1 886, 
By  HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  CO. 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge  : 
Electrot}T)ed  and  Printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Co. 


MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

In  undertaking  a  little  sketch  of  this  na- 
ture, I  am  quite  conscious  that  a  relative 
has  peculiar  temptations  to  be  partial,  —  a 
temper  of  mind  which  Mrs.  Madison,  in 
the  great  simplicity  of  her  character,  would 
most  cordially  have  disliked ;  and  there- 
fore, though  the  skill  may  be  wanting,  the 
endeavor  will  be  to  give  facts,  anecdotes, 
and  letters,  as  they  were  handed  down  by 
near  relatives,  privileged  to  live  in  her 
household  and  enjoy  her  confidence, 
suppressing  nothing  that  could  interest 
the  many  who  admire  and  respect  her 
memory.  As  those  who  have  seen  Mrs. 
Madison's  features  and  heard  her  voice 
are  becoming  yearly  fewer,  the  number 
who  take  an  interest  in  bygone  days,  and 
the  prominent  men  and  women  who  fig- 


2  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

ured  in  history  and  society,  when  our 
country  was  yet  in  its  infancy,  is  rapidly 
increasing  ;  indeed,  our  great-grandmoth- 
ers and  grandfathers  shape  themselves  be- 
fore our  eyes,  and  assume  new  interest,  as 
pictures  of  the  life  and  influences  of  those 
early  days  are  brought  before  us. 

I  propose  to  lay  before  the  public  a  se- 
ries of  private  letters,  written,  without  the 
most  remote  idea  of  publication,  by  a  wo- 
man to  her  nearest  and  dearest  relations ; 
and  their  value  consists  in  the  fact,  capa- 
ble of  no  misconception,  that  they  furnish 
an  exact  transcript  of  the  feelings  of  the 
writer,  in  times  of  no  ordinary  trial. 

If  it  were  possible  to  get  at  the  expres- 
sion of  feelings  by  women  in  the  heart  of 
a  community  more  frequently,  recorded 
in  a  shape  designed  to  be  confidential,  it 
would  serve  to  present  the  surest  and 
most  unfailing  idea  of  its  general  char- 
acter. 

Whether  deliberating  in  the  Senate,  or 
fighting  in  the  field,  our  strength  against 
Great  Britain  was  never  that  of  numbers, 
nor  of  wealth,  nor  of  genius  ;  it  drew  its 
nourishment  from  a  more  potent  source : 
from   the    sentiment    that    pervaded    the 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  3 

dwellings  of  the  entire  population.  How 
much  this  sentiment  did  then,  and  does 
now,  depend  upon  the  character  of  our 
women  will  be  too  readily  understood  to 
require  explanation. 

The  domestic  hearth  is  the  scene  of  the 
almost  exclusive  sway  of  women,  and  great 
as  the  influence  thus  exercised  undoubt- 
edly is,  it  escapes  observation  in  such 
manner  that  history  rarely  takes  much 
account  of  it.  The  maxims  of  religion, 
faith,  hope,  and  charity,  are  instilled  by 
them  into  the  teachings  of  infancy,  thus 
supplying  the  only  high  and  pure  motives 
of  which  mature  manhood  can,  in  its  sub- 
sequent action,  ever  boast. 

John  Payne,  the  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Madison,  was  an  English  gentleman  of 
wealth  and  education,  who  emigrated  to 
this  country  and  settled  on  the  James 
River,  in  the  county  of  Goochland,  Vir- 
ginia. He  married  Anna  Fleming,  grand- 
daughter of  Sir  Thomas  Fleming,  second 
son  of  the  Earl  of  Wigton,  of  Scotland, 
and  also  an  emigrant  to  the  Colony,  who 
landed  at  Jamestown  and  established  him- 
self in  Kent  County,  where  he  lived  until 
his  death. 


4  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

John  Payne  the  second,  the  father  of 
Mrs.  Madison,  left  home  at  an  early  age  to 
take  charge  of  a  plantation  in  North  Caro- 
lina given  him  by  his  father.  He  there 
married  Mary  Coles,  daughter  of  William 
Coles,  a  native  of  Enniscorthy,  Ireland. 
Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Philpot,  was  an  aunt  of  Virginia's  orator, 
Patrick  Henry. 

The  devout  believer  in  the  transmission 
of  family  qualities  will  be  content  with 
the  inheritance  of  Dolly  Madison  from 
this  mother  and  grandmother,  both  noted 
for  their  beauty  and  popularity.  Mary 
Coles  was  a  great  belle,  having  many  ad- 
mirers, —  among  them  the  young  Thomas 
Jefferson,  whose  promising  talents  were 
even  then  appreciated.  In  spite,  however, 
of  the  persistency  of  friends,  John  Payne 
was  the  favored  suitor,  and  shortly  after 
his  marriage  purchased  an  estate  in  Han- 
over County,  Virginia,  within  driving  dis- 
tance of  Coles  Hill,  the  residence  of  his 
father-in-law. 

Towards  the  close  of  her  life,  Mrs.  Mad- 
ison frequently  recalled  the  home  of  her 
childhood,  dwelling  upon  the  great  black 
marble  mantelpieces,    supported  by  white 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  5 

figures.  The  house  was  called  Scotch- 
town  because  of  the  emigrants,  and  was 
surrounded  by  a  number  of  small  brick 
houses,  attached  to  the  main  building, 
which  was  very  large,  having  as  many  as 
twenty  rooms  on  a  floor. 

John  Payne  was  the  father  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  second  is  the  subject  of 
this  memoir.  Much  might  be  said  of  un- 
usual charms  discovered  by  adoring  par- 
ents during  her  infancy.  Dorothy  Payne 
first  opened  her  eyes  on  this  world,  which 
she  was  destined  so  thoroughly  to  enjoy, 
on  the  20th  May,  1772,  in  North  Carolina, 
where  her  parents  were  visiting  ;  and  was 
named  Dorothy  for  her  mother's  aunt, 
Mrs.  Patrick  Henry. 

Both  father  and  mother  were  strict  mem- 
bers of  the  ''Society  of  Friends,"  and 
Dolly's  childhood  was  passed  quietly  in 
their  country  home  until  she  reached  the 
age  of  twelve  years.  A  favorite  with  all, 
she  was  the  particular  pet  and  companion 
of  her  grandmother,  who  often  made  her 
happy  by  surreptitious  presents  of  old- 
fashioned  jewelry,  and  not  daring  to  wear 
them  before  her  father  and  mother,  she 
sewed  them  into  a   bag,  which   was   tied 


6  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

around  her  neck,  and  concealed  beneath 
her  little  frock.  Almost  the  first  grief  of 
her  childhood  was  the  loss  of  this  precious 
bag,  discovered  in  school,  after  a  long  ram- 
ble through  the  woods,  during  which  the 
string  must  have  become  unfastened,  scat- 
tering the  treasure  where  days  of  search- 
ing proved  of  no  avail. 

The  cultivation  of  the  female  mind  at  that 
time  was  regarded  with  utter  indifference. 
It  may  have  been  that  the  example  of  Mrs. 
Hutchinson  in  the  early  Colony  days  had 
not  yet  effaced  from  the  mind  of  the  pub- 
lic a  conviction  of  the  danger  that  may 
attend  the  m.eddling  of  women  with  ab- 
struse points  of  doctrine.  And  also  it  was 
the  fashion  to  ridicule  *'  learned  women." 
The  little  country  school  to  which  Dolly 
Payne  wended  her  way  for  the  first  twelve 
years  was  of  the  simplest  description. 
Reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic  were  all 
that  was  considered  necessary,  and  though 
her  educational  advantages  were  greater 
after  their  removal  to  Philadelphia,  her 
life  until  she  married  was  rigidly  simple 
and  quiet,  giving  no  scope  for  that  intui- 
tive tact  and  knowledge  of  character  which 
was  so  conspicuous  in  after  years. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  J 

Equipped  with  a  white  linen  mask  to 
keep  every  ray  of  sunshine  from  the  com- 
plexion, a  sun-bonnet  sewed  on  her  head 
every  morning  by  her  careful  mother,  and 
long  gloves  covering  the  hands  and  arms, 
one  can  see  the  prim  little  figure  starting 
off  for  school,  with  books  under  her  arm, 
and  the  dear  but  wicked  baubles  safely 
hidden  beneath  the  severely  plain  Quaker 
dress. 


MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 


CHAPTER   II. 

Mr.  Payne  was  one  of  the  first  of  his 
sect  in  Virginia  to  become  doubtful  —  and 
later  conscientiously  scrupulous  —  about 
the  right  of  slavery.  He  was  called  a  fa- 
natic, but  persisted  in  his  views,  selling  his 
plantation  and  giving  freedom  to  all  the 
slaves.  Several  of  the  most  devoted  ser- 
vants refused  to  go,  and  these  he  took  with 
him  to  Philadelphia,  whither  he  moved 
with  his  family  in  1786,  with  but  one  aim 
in  view  —  the  better  maintenance  of  his 
religious  character.  There  he  became  an 
Elder,  spoke  with  great  effect  at  the 
*'  Meetings,"  and  was  called  a  Quaker 
preacher. 

Though  a  strict  and  particular  father,  he 
was  also  a  devoted  one,  bringing  up  his 
children  in  that  religion  which  has  utility 
for  its  basis,  sending  them  to  schools 
taught  by  his  own  sect,  and  himself  giv- 
ing them  every  attention  at  home.  Orna- 
ments and  accomplishments  were  equally 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  9 

forbidden  by  their  religion  ;  even  a  clock 
belonging  to  an  unthinking  member  was 
shorn  of  its  beautiful  carving  by  a  delega- 
tion from  the  "  Meeting,"  as  savoring  too 
much  "of  the  vanities,"  and  in  the  same 
systematic  way  were  all  the  little  accom- 
plishments cut  off  from  the  children. 

Hospitable,  generous,  and  believed  to  be 
very  rich,  as  Mr.  Payne  was,  his  house  be- 
came the  resort  of  all  needy  Southerners, 
who  often  took  advantage  of  his  Hberality. 
The  transition  from  life  on  a  plantation 
with  many  slaves,  to  town,  together  with  a 
total  ignorance  of  money  matters,  brought 
about  an  embarrassment  in  his  affairs,  and 
he  determined  to  go  into  business,  taking 
with  him  into  partnership  his  eldest  son, 
John,  who  had  been  traveling  in  Europe. 

Much  of  his  capital,  however,  was  in  Rev- 
olutionary money,  and  as  that  gradually 
depreciated  in  value,  he  failed,  and  his 
family  found  themselves  much  reduced  in 
circumstances.  This  failure  had  a  most 
depressing  effect  upon  him,  physically  and 
mentally,  and  he  never  held  up  his  head 
again,  taking  to  his  room,  which  he  left 
only  to  be  carried  to  his  last  resting-place. 

All    this   while    the   pretty   Dolly  was 


lO  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

growing  in  grace  and  stature,  winning 
hearts  from  old  and  young  by  the  peculiar 
charm  of  manner  for  which  she  afterwards 
became  noted.  A  tall,  slight  girl  of  nine- 
teen, with  a  delicately  oval  face,  and  well- 
formed,  if  not  perfect,  features  ;  a  com- 
plexion dazzlingly  fair,  contrasted  with 
very  black  hair ;  and  blue  eyes  that  gazed 
at  you  with  much  sweetness,  beneath  the 
modest  little  Quaker  cap.  Who  knows 
what  ideal  the  girl  may  have  had,  and  why 
it  was  that  when  the  good-looking  John 
Todd,  a  promising  young  lawyer  of  means, 
and  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
proposed  to  her,  the  answer  was  that  she 
*' never  meant  to  marry."  Children  at  that 
time,  •  however,  were  taught  to  obey  their 
parents  unquestioningly,  and  when  Dolly 
was  sent  for,  to  the  bedside  of  her  father, 
and  told  that  he  wished  her  much  to  be- 
come the  wife  of  John  Todd,  a  young  man 
who  had  shown  him  great  kindness  in  his 
trouble,  and  of  whom  he  had  the  highest 
opinion,  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to 
obey,  which  she  did  with  the  best  possible 
grace,  and  was  amply  rewarded  by  seeing 
her  father  tranquil  and  happy  during  the 
few  remaining  months  of  his  life,  and  by 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  1 1 

the  devotion  of  a  husband  who  made  the 
three  short  years  of  their  married  life  all 
that  could  be  wished. 

In  1792  Lucy  Payne,  a  younger  sister  of 
Mrs.  Madison,  married  at  fifteen  George 
Steptoe  Washington,  nephew  of  General 
Washington,  and  then  a  resident  of  Jeffer- 
son County,  Virginia,  where  he  owned  a 
large  and  valuable  property,  inherited  from 
his  father,  Samuel  Washington,  a  gay,  fox- 
hunting squire,  who  thought  much  of  his 
wives  (of  whom  he  had  had  five),  and  his 
horses  and  dogs.  On  the  walls  of  Hare- 
wood,  I  believe,  his  portrait  still  hangs,  in 
powdered  wig,  long  coat,  and  lace  ruffles, 
and  by  it  the  likeness  of  one  of  his  wives, 
Anne  Steptoe,  also  represented  in  the  elab- 
orate dress  of  the  day,  with  cushioned  hair 
and  blue  brocade.  Here  it  was  that  Mr. 
Madison  came  to  wed  the  pretty  "  Widow 
Todd." 

On  the  nth  of  September,  1793,  Mr. 
Jefferson,  then  in  Philadelphia,  wrote  to 
Mr.  Morris :  ''  An  infectious  and  deadly 
fever  has  broken  out  in  this  place.  The 
deaths  under  it,  during  the  week  before 
last,  were  about  forty,  the  last  week  fifty, 
and  this  week  I  fear  they  will  be  two  hun- 


12  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

dred,  so  rapidly  is  it  increasing.  Every  one 
is  leaving  the  city  who  can.  Colonel  Ham- 
ilton has  been  ill,  but  on  the  road  to  re- 
covery. The  President,  according  to  an 
arrangement  made  some  time  ago,  left  for 
Mt.  Vernon  yesterday.  The  Secretary  of 
War  is  starting  out  on  a  visit  to  Boston. 
I  shall  go  in  a  few  days  to  Virginia.  When 
we  shall  meet  again  may  depend  on  the 
course  of  the  malady,  and  on  that  may  de- 
pend the  date  of  my  next  letter." 

Mrs.  Todd,  with  her  two  children,  one  a 
baby  of  three  weeks,  was  removed  in  a  lit- 
ter to  Gray's  Ferry,  to  avoid  the  epidemic. 
Her  husband,  however,  could  not  be  kept 
away  from  the  infected  city,  and  hurried 
back,  arriving  only  in  time  to  be  present 
at  the  death-bed  of  his  father  and  mother, 
both  victims  to  the  dreadful  scourge  of 
yellow  fever. 

Deaf  to  the  tearful  entreaties  of  his  wife, 
Mr.  Todd  lingered  on  in  Philadelphia  to 
close  his  office  and  give  assistance  to  the 
many  friends  needing  help.  When  these 
duties  were  over,  "he  would  never  leave 
her  again,"  he  said.  Alas  !  a  vain  boast. 
He  returned  to  Gray's  Ferry,  and  meeting 
his  mother-in-law,  Mrs.  Payne,  at  the  door, 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  1 3 

said,  "  I  feel  the  fever  in  my  veins,  but  I 
must  see  Jicr  once  more." 

Dolly,  on  hearing  his  voice,  rushed  down 
stairs  and  threw  herself  into  his  arms, 
heedless  of  infection,  begging  to  be  al- 
lowed to  go  back  to  town  with  him. 

A  few  hours  afterwards  that  good,  un- 
selfish spirit  breathed  its  last,  and  the 
young  wife  was  brought  almost  to  death's 
door  by  the  fatal  scourge. 


14  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 


CHAPTER   III. 

After  a  slow  recovery,  during  which 
time  she  lost  her  younger  child,  Mrs.  Todd 
returned  to  Philadelphia  with  her  mother 
and  little  boy,  named  after  her  father,  John 
Payne.  All  danger  of  infection  was  over, 
but  there  were  many  sorrowing  hearts,  and 
none  more  so  than  this  young  widow's,  be- 
reft of  husband  and  child  within  a  few 
short  days  of  each  other.  Still  young, 
only  twenty-two,  very  rich  and  very  attrac- 
tive, it  is  only  natural  that  in  course  of 
time  she  should  have  many  admirers  ;  and 
one  of  her  friends,  a  bridesmaid  at  her 
wedding,  said  that  "gentlemen  would  sta- 
tion themselves  where  they  could  see  her 
pass,"  and  sometimes  she  had  remonstrated 
with  her,  laughingly,  "  really  Dolly,  thou 
must  hide  thy  face,  there  are  so  many  star- 
ing at  thee." 

It  was  during  one  of  these  walks  that 
Mr.  Madison  saw  Mrs.  Todd  for  ^the  first 
time,  and  was  so  struck  with  her  appear- 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  15 

ance  that  he  did  not  rest  until  an  introduc- 
tion was  procured. 

Mrs.  Lee  also  tells  us  of  this  first  meet- 
ing, a  few  days  afterwards,  when  she  re- 
ceives a  hurried  little  note  from  Dolly, 
saying,  "  Dear  friend,  thou  must  come  to 
me.  Aaron  Burr  says  that  the  *  great  lit- 
tle Madison  '  has  asked  to  be  brought  to 
see  me  this  evening."  She  was  dressed  in 
a  mulberry-colored  satin,  with  a  silk  tulle 
kerchief  over  her  neck,  and  on  her  head  an 
exquisitely  dainty  little  cap,  from  which  an 
occasional  uncropped  curl  would  escape. 
In  this  first  interview,  at  her  own  house, 
she  captured  the  heart  of  the  recluse  book- 
worm, Madison,  —  twenty  years  her  senior, 
and  always  thought  to  be  an  irreclaimable 
old  bachelor. 

A  report  soon  got  about  of  their  en- 
gagement ;  such  unwonted  attentions  from 
Mr.  Madison  excited  comment,  and  rumor 
was  as  active  in  those  days  as  now. 

It  reached  the  Presidential  mansion, 
where  General  and  Mrs.  Washington  were 
much  interested  ;  and  impatient  to  hear 
the  truth,  sent  for  Mrs.  Todd,  who  all  un- 
conscious  obeyed  the  summons    at   once. 

"Dolly,"  said  Mrs.  Washington,    "is  it 


> 


1 6  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

true  that  you  are  engaged  to  James  Mad- 
ison ?  "  The  fair  widow,  taken  aback,  an- 
swered stammeringly,  *'No,"  she  "thought 
not."  "  If  it  is  so,"  Mrs.  Washington  con- 
tinued, "  do  not  be  ashamed  to  confess  it : 
rather  be  proud  ;  he  will  make  thee  a  good 
husband,  and  all  the  better  for  being  so 
much  older.  We  both  approve  of  it ;  the 
esteem  and  friendship  existing  between 
Mr.  Madison  and  my  husband  is  very 
great,  and  we  would  wish  thee  to  be 
happy."  And  thus  the  rumor  grew  to 
be  an  established  fact,  and  in  September, 
1794,  Mrs.  Todd  left  Philadelphia  to  drive 
to  Harewood,  her  sister's  place  in  Vir- 
ginia, where  the  wedding  was  to  take 
place.  Fortunately  the  weather  was  bright 
and  beautiful,  as  the  gay  cavalcade  were 
a  week  on  their  way  :  Mrs.  Todd  in  an 
open  barouche,  accompanied  by  her  sister, 
Anna,  a  child  of  twelve  years,  the  little 
boy  and  a  maid;  Mr.  Madison  and  sev- 
eral of  their  mutual  friends  driving  or 
riding  beside  them. 

A  most  delightful  picture  is  given  of 
this  country  wedding  ;  friends  and  neigh- 
bors from  far  and  near  driving  over. 
Frances    Madison,    Harriet    Washington, 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  1 7 

and  many  of  the  connection  staying  for 
days,  keeping  up  a  prolonged  merry-mak- 
ing. 

The  girls,  vying  with  each  other  in  ob- 
taining mementos  of  the  evening,  cut  in 
bits  the  Mechlin  lace  from  Mr..  Madison's 
shirt  ruffles  ;  and  amid  a  shower  of  rice, 
the  laughing  bride  and  groom  drove  ojf 
to  Montpelier,  his  father's  estate  in  Orange 
County,  Virginia. 

The  close  of  the  year,  however,  found 
them  back  in  Philadelphia,  where  Mrs. 
Madison,  laying  aside  the  sober  Quaker 
dress  at  her  husband's  desire,  began  for 
the  first  time  to  enjoy  a  little  gay  society, 
even  going  to  Mrs.  Washington's  drawing- 
room,  where  she  was  warmly  welcomed 
and  congratulated. 

Anna  Payne,  the  little  sister  who  had 
lived  with  Mrs.  Madison  from  the  time  of 
her  first  marriage,  grew  up  like  a  daughter 
of  the  house,  and  shared  the  responsibili- 
ties and  pleasures  until  she  married  in 
1804. 

Some  bright  letters  have  come  into  my 
hands,  written  by  one  of  their  intimate 
friends,  Sally  McKean,  the  daughter  of 
Governor  McKean,  and  afterwards  wife  of 


1 8  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

the  Marquis  d'Yrujo,  the  Minister  from 
Spain  in  1796.  She  was  handsome,  gay, 
and  independent,  and  the  following  letters 
give  a  graphic  description  of  Philadelphia 
society  and  fashions  about  that  time. 


TO   ANNA   PAYNE. 

Philadelphia,  Ju7ie  10,  1796. 

My  DEAR  Anna,  —  Yours,  dated  the 
19th  of  May,  was  handed  to  me  the  day  be- 
fore yesterday  by  one  Mr.  Grove,  who  .  .  . 

And  now,  my  dear  Anna,  we  will  have 
done  with  judges  and  juries,  courts,  both 
martial  and  partial,  and  we  will  speak  a 
little  about  Philadelphia  and  the  fashions, 
the  beaux.  Congress,  and  the  weather.  Do 
I  not  make  a  fine  jumble  of  them  }  What 
would  Harper  or  beau  Dawson  say  were 
they  to  know  it,  ha,  ha,  —  mind  you  laugh 
here  with  me.  Philadelphia  never  was 
known  to  be  so  lively  at  this  season  as  at 
present ;  for  an  accurate  account  of  the 
amusements,  I  refer  you  to  my  letter  to 
your  sister  Mary.  I  went  yesterday  to  see 
a  doll,  which  has  come  from  England, 
dressed  to  show  us  the  fashions,  and  I  saw 
besides  a  great  quantity  of  millinery.    Very 


OF  AIRS.   MADISON'.  1 9 

long'  trains  are  worn,  and  they  are  festooned 
up  with  loops  of  bobbin,  and  small  covered 
buttons,  the  same  as  the  dress  :  you  are 
not  confined  to  any  number  of  festoons, 
but  put  them  according  to  your  fancy,  and 
you  cannot  conceive  what  a  beautiful  ef- 
fect it  has.  There  is  also  a  robe  which 
is  plaited  very  far  back,  open  and  ruffled 
down  the  sides,  without  a  train,  being  even 
with  the  petticoat.  The  hats  are  quite  a 
different  shape  from  what  they  used  to  be  : 
they  have  no  slope  in  the  crown,  scarce 
any  rim,  and  are  turned  up  at  each  side, 
and  worn  very  much  on  the  side  of  the 
head.  Several  of  them  are  made  of 
chipped  wood,  commonly  known  as  cane 
hats ;  they  are  all  lined  :  one  that  has  come 
for  Mrs.  Bingham  is  lined  with  white,  and 
trimmed  with  broad  purple  ribbon,  put 
round  in  large  puffs,  with  a  bow  on  the 
left  side.  The  bonnets  are  all  open  on 
the  top,  through  which  the  hair  is  passed, 
either  up  or  down  as  you  fancy,  but  lat- 
terly they  wear  it  more  up  than  down ;  it 
is  quite  out  of  fashion  to  frizz  or  curl  the 
hair,  as  it  is  worn  perfectly  straight.  Ear- 
rings, too,  are  very  fashionable.  The 
waists  are  worn  two  inches  longer   than 


20  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

they  used  to  be,  and  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  long  sleeves.  They  are  worn  half  way 
above  the  elbow,  either  drawn  or  plaited  in 
various  ways,  according  to  fancy  ;  they  do 
not  wear  ruffles  at  all,  and  as  for  elbows, 
Anna,  ours  would  be  alabaster,  compared 
to  some  of  the  ladies  who  follow  the  fash- 
ion ;  black  or  a  colored  ribbon  is  pinned 
round  the  bare  arm,  between  the  elbow 
and  the  sleeve.  There  have  come  some 
new-fashioned  slippers  for  ladies,  made  of 
various  colored  kid  or  morocco,  with  small 
silver  clasps  sewed  on  ;  they  are  very  hand- 
some, and  make  the  feet  look  remarka- 
bly small  and  neat.  Everybody  thinks  the 
millinery  last  received  the  most  tasty  seen 
for  a  long  time. 

All  our  beaux  are  well ;  the  amiable 
Chevalier  is  perfectly  recovered,  and  hand- 
somer than  ever.  I  mentioned  to  him  last 
evening  that  I  had  received  a  letter  from 
you,  and  that  you  desired  to  be  remem- 
bered to  him ;  he  seemed  much  pleased  at 
your  attention,  and  desired  that  I  should 
give  his  best  love  to  you  when  I  wrote ; 
so  did  Fatio  and  good  Mr.  Viar:  so  you 
see,  my  dear  Anna,  I  do  keep  my  promise, 
tho'  you  scold   me  so  much.     Mind  that 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  21 

you  write  me  a  long  answer  to  this,  and 
that  very  soon. 

Your  sincere  and  affectionate  friend, 
Sally  McKean. 

to  anna  payne. 
Philadelphia,  Septeinber  3,  1796. 

My  dear  Anna,  —  I  received  yours  by 
Mr.  Taylor  —  and  duly  delivered  its  inclos- 
ure.  You  can  have  no  idea,  my  dear  girl, 
what  pleasant  times  I  have  ;  there  is  the 
charming  Chevalier,  the  divine  Santana, 
the  jolly  Viar,  the  witty  and  agreeable 
Fatio,  the  black-eyed  Lord  Henry,  the  soft, 
love  -  making  Count,  the  giggling,  foolish 

,  and  sometimes  the  modest,  good  Me- 

clare,  who  are  at  our  house  every  day.  We 
have  fine  riding-parties  and  musical  frolics. 
However,  I  will  refer  you  to  my  letter  to 
your  sister  Madison,  as  I  am  tired  of  writ- 
ing, this  being  my  third  letter  to-day. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jandenes  set  sail  about 
the  middle  of  July,  with  the  two  dear  little 
children  in  good  health  and  remarkably 
fine  spirits.  I  am  to  have  a  large  packet 
of  papers  from  them  as  soon  as  they  ar- 
rive in  Spain,  telling  me  all  the  news,  and 
also   a   very   elegant   Spanish    guitar,  on 


22  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

which  I  intend  to  learn  to  play.  Signer 
Don  Carlos  has  given  me  a  few  lessons  on 
that  instrument.  I  have  one  at  present, 
lent  me  by  Santana,  and  we  have  a  famous 
Italian  singer,  who  came  with  the  Minis- 
ter, who  can  play  on  any  instrument,  and 
is  moreover  the  drollest  creature  you  ever 
saw.  He  sings  divinely,  and  is  the  leader 
of  our  fine  concerts.  I  am  serenaded 
every  night  with  divine  music.  I  must 
say  divine,  for  it  is  so  much  above  the 
common  music. 

I  long  with  the  greatest  impatience  for 
the  month  of  October,  that  I  may  have  the 
pleasure  of  embracing  my  dear  Anna ;  for 
Heaven's  sake  make  as  much  haste  to  town 
as  you  can,  for  we  are  to  have  one  of  the 
most  charming  winters  imaginable.  San- 
tana and  Fatio  send  their  compliments  to 
you,  and  Meclare  told  me  to  be  sure  to 
give  his  best  and  most  sincere  love  to  you  ; 
he  looks  quite  handsome,  and  is  smarter 
than  ever.  God  bless  you,  my  dearest, 
and  believe  me  to  be  your  sincere  friend 
and  admirer,  Sally  McKean. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Madison  writes  to 
an  old  friend  and  schoolmate,  Mr.  Murray, 


OF  MRS,   MADISON.  23 

of  Virginia,  who  was  then  Consul  at  Liv- 
erpool, which  post  he  held  for  more  than 
thirty  years. 

TO   MR.    MURRAY. 
Philadelphia,  January^  18,  1797; 

Dear  Sir,  —  Mr.  Mason  and  myself 
lately  received  your  packets  of  London  pa- 
pers by  the  "  Alexander  Hamilton,"  which 
were  very  acceptable,  as  they  brought  us 
the  earliest  accounts  of  some  of  the  im- 
portant articles  contained  in  them.  I  send 
in  return  several  packets  by  Captain  Jo- 
seph Prince,  who  is  to  sail  from  New  York, 
and  to  whom  I  cannot  conveniently  trans- 
mit anything  of  a  more  bulky  nature. 
Captain  Prince  is  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr. 
Beckley,  clerk  of  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives, and  formerly  known  to  you  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  will  be  very  sensible  to  any 
kindness  it  may  be  in  your  power  to  show 
his  friend  ;  and  they  will  have  a  proper 
claim  on  his  acknowledgments  also. 

This  country  is  extremely  agitated  by 
pecuniary  distresses,  and  the  mercantile 
troubles  which  begin  to  thicken.  The  un- 
fortunate Treaty  intended  to  appease  the 
nation  is   bringing    us    into    trouble   with 


24  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

several.  You  will  see  that  the  House  of 
Representatives  is  engaged  on  the  ques- 
tion of  a  direct  tax.  The  result  is  a  prob- 
lem not  yet  to  be  solved.  It  is  expected 
that  the  Executive  will  communicate  in  a 
few  days  a  full  statement  of  the  contro- 
versy with  France. 

After  a  warm  contest  for  the  succession 
to  General  Washington,  the  vacancy  will 
be  filled  by  Mr.  Adams.  He  has  seventy- 
one  votes,  and  Mr.  Jefferson  only  sixty- 
eight.  The  division  would  be  more,  but 
for  the  failure  of  one  of  the  returns  from 
a  county  in  this  State  in  time  to  be  count- 
ed, and  other  casualties  in  other  States 
had  a  share  in  favoring  Mr.  Adams.  Mr. 
Jefferson,  it  is  now  well  known,  will  serve 
in  the  secondary  place  allotted  to  him. 

This  being  the  last  session  of  Congress 
of  which  I  shall  be  a  member,  I  must,  at 
the  same  time  that  I  return  you  thanks 
for  all  your  past  favors,  request  that  your 
future  ones  be  addressed  to  Orange  Coun- 
ty, Virginia,  and  that  they  may  not  be  sent 
on  the  calculation  that  I  shall  get  them 
free  of  postage. 

With  great  esteem,  I  am,  dear  sir, 
Your  obedient  servant, 

James  Madison,  Jr. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON,  25 


CHAPTER  IV. 

In  the  year  1799,  Mrs.  Madison,  accom- 
panied by  her  husband,  made  her  last  visit 
to  her  uncle  and  aunt,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Winston,  who  lived  near  her  old  home  in 
Hanover  County,  Virginia.  Colonel  Isaac 
Winston  was  a  man  of  cultivation  and 
sound  judgment,  whom  Mr.  Madison  re- 
garded with  the  highest  respect,  and  one 
of  the  few  to  whom  he  would  yield  his 
opinion.  We  find  by  letters  received  at 
different  times  much  good  advice  given 
by  this  quiet  country  gentleman,  —  advice 
that  was  valued  and  acted  upon. 

A  visit  of  condolence  was  also  paid  to 
Mrs.  Washington  at  Mt.  Vernon,  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Madison,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson, after  General  Washington's  death. 
Here  it  was  that  the  intimacy  began  be- 
tween Mrs.  Madison  and  Miss  Henley,  a 
favorite  niece  and  ward  of  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton, afterwards  Mrs.  Tobias  Lear. 

In  1 80 1,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  Pros- 


26  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

ident,  Mr.  Madison  became  Secretary  of 
State,  Albert  Gallatin  succeeded  Mr. 
Dexter  in  the  portfolio  of  the  Treasury, 
and  Mr.  Dearborn  was  made  Secretary  of 
War.  The  other  members  of  the  Cabinet 
remained  unchanged  for  a  year  or  more. 
Happy  and  handsome,  Mrs.  Madison  came 
on  to  Washington  prepared  to  do  her  best 
with  the  duties  and  responsibilities  before 
her.  The  position  was  in  perfect  accord- 
ance with  her  disposition.  She  was  hum- 
ble-minded, tolerant,  and  sincere,  but  with 
a  desire  to  please,  and  a  willingness  to  be 
pleased,  which  made  her  popular,  and  al- 
ways a  great  friend  and  support  to  her 
husband.  The  power  of  adaptation  was 
a  life-giving  principle  in  her  nature,  while 
an  unusually  retentive  memory  prevented 
her  from  ever  forgetting  either  names, 
faces,  or  the  slightest  incident  connected 
with  the  personal  history  of  any  one. 
Washington  at  that  time  was  almost  a  wil- 
derness. The  houses  were  few  and  far 
between,  while  the  streets,  or  rather  roads, 
were  at  times  almost  impassable  from  mud. 
There  was,  however,  a  small  and  agreeable 
resident  society  in  the  three  District  cities, 
Alexandria,  Washington,  and  Georgetown, 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  2/ 

where  the  entertainments  began  at  seven 
o'clock  and  lasted  until  ten. 

In  those  days,  when  steamboats  were 
just  beginning,  railroads  unknown,  stage- 
coaches ingeniously  uncomfortable,  and 
even  turnpike  roads  rare,  journeys  were 
made  either  on  horseback,  or  in  a  private 
conveyance.  The  daughter  of  a  Senator, 
who  wished  to  enjoy  the  gayeties  of  the 
capital,  accompanied  her  father  five  hun- 
dred miles  on  horseback.  The  wife  of  a 
member  of  Congress,  being  equally  ambi- 
tious, rode  fifteen  hundred  miles  on  horse- 
back, passing  through  several  Indian  en- 
campments on  the  way,  and  was  for  many 
nights  without  a  house  to  lodge  in.  Mrs. 
Madison  herself  had  traveled  from  her 
Virginia  home  by  easy  stages,  incumbered 
with  household  furniture,  occupying  what 
seems  to  us  in  these  days  an  incredible 
length  of  time. 

Mr.  Jefferson's  two  daughters  being  mar- 
ried and  living  in  Virginia,  Mrs.  Madison, 
aided  by  her  sister,  usually  presided  at  the 
White  House,  and  was  much  depended 
upon,  as  a  few  of  the  many  little  notes  re- 
ceived at  various  times  will  show  :  — 


28  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

May  27,  1 801. 

Thomas  Jefferson  begs  that  either 
Mrs.  Madison  or  Miss  Payne  will  be  so 
good  as  to  dine  with  him  to-day,  to  take 
care  of  female  friends  expected. 

Jtme  4,  1 80 1. 
Thomas  Jefferson  was  much  disap- 
pointed at  breakfast  this  morning,  not  hav- 
ing until  then  known  of  the  departure  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Madison  and  Miss  Payne  ;  he 
hopes  they  will  come  and  dine  to-day  with 
the  .Miss  Butters,  who  were  assured  they 
would  meet  them  here,  and  to-morrow  with 
Mrs.  Gallatin  and  Mrs.  Mason.  Affection- 
ate salutations. 

July  10,  1805. 

Thomas  Jefferson  presents  his  respect- 
ful thanks  to  Mrs.  Madison  for  the  trouble 
she  has  been  so  kind  as  to  take  on  his 
behalf.  Nothing  more  is  wanting,  unless 
(having  forgotten  little  Virginia)  a  sash 
or  something  of  that  kind  could  be  picked 
up  anywhere  for  her.  The  amount,  and 
the  person  from  whom  the  earrings  and 
pin  were  bought,  Thomas  Jefferson  would 
also  ask  of  Mrs.  Madison.  He  presents 
his  affectionate  salutations. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  29 

Martha  Jefferson,  who  married  Mr.  Ran- 
dolph was  able  to  pay  two  visits  only  to 
her  father  during  his  administration.  She 
would  have  been  particularly  fitted  to  do 
the  honors  of  the  White  House,  having 
accompanied  her  father  to  Paris,  when  a 
child,  where  she  was  placed  under  the  care 
of  Madame  de  Genlis,  and  received  a  most 
thorough  education,  enjoying  afterwards  a 
glimpse  of  the  brilliant  French  society  just 
before  the  Revolution.  She  and  Mrs.  Mad- 
ison became  firm  friends,  and  from  being 
much  together  during  her  visits  to  Wash- 
ington were  sometimes  taken  for  each 
other.  On  one  occasion,  having  been  in- 
duced to  put  on  "  a  peUsse  and  hat  to 
correspond  "  belonging  to  her  friend,  she 
made  a  number  of  visits  to  comparative 
strangers,  announced  invariably  as  Mrs. 
Madison. 

Maria  Jefferson,  the  youngest  daughter, 
was  very  beautiful,  but  delicate ;  she  mar- 
ried Mr.  Eppes,  of  Virginia,  and  died  while 
her  father  was  President. 

The  following  are  the  rules  of  etiquette 
formed  and  followed  conscientiously  by 
the  President  and  his  Cabinet :  — 


30  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

CANONS  OF  ETIQUETTE  TO    BE    OBSERVED  BY 

THE    EXECUTIVE. 

By  President  Jefferson. 

1st.  Foreign  Ministers'  arriving  at  the 
seat  of  government  pay  the  first  visit  to 
the  ministers  of  the  nation,  which  is  re- 
turned ;  and  so  likewise  on  subsequent  oc- 
casions of  reassembling  after  a  recess. 

2d.  The  families  of  foreign  Ministers 
receive  the  first  visit  from  those  of  the  na- 
tional Ministers,  as  from  all  other  resi- 
dents, and  as  all  strangers,  foreign  or  do- 
mestic, do  from  all  residents  of  the  place. 

3d.  After  the  first  visit  the  character 
of  stranger  ceases. 

4th.  Among  the  members  of  the  Diplo- 
matic Corps,  the  Executive  Government,  in 
its  own  principles  of  personal  and  national 
equality,  considers  every  Minister  as  the 
representative  of  his  nation,  and  equal  to 
every  other  without  distinction  of  grade. 

5  th.  No  titles  being  admitted  here, 
those  of  foreigners  give  no  precedence. 

6th.  Our  Ministers  to  foreign  nations 
are  as  private  citizens  while  here. 

7th.  At  any  public  ceremony  to  which 
the  Government  invites  the  presence  of 
foreign    Ministers    and    their   families,   no 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  3 1 

precedence  or  privilege  will  be  given  them 
other  than  the  provision  of  a  convenient 
seat  or  station  with  any  other  stranger  in- 
vited, and  with  the  families  of  the  National 
Ministers. 

8th.  At  dinners,  in  public  or  private, 
and  on  all  other  occasions  of  social  inter- 
course, a  perfect  equality  exists  between 
the  persons  composing  the  company, 
whether  foreign  or  domestic,  titled  or  un- 
titled, in  or  out  of  office. 

9th.  To  give  force  to  the  principle  of 
equality,  or  pile  miky  and  prevent  the 
growth  of  precedence  out  of  courtesy,  the 
members  of  the  Executive,  at  their  own 
houses,  will  adhere  to  the  ancient  usage  of 
their  ancestors,  —  gentlemen  en  masse  giv- 
ing place  to  the  ladies  en  masse, 

loth.  The  President  of  the  United 
States  receives  visits,  but  does  not  return 
them. 

nth.  The  family  of  the  President  re- 
ceives the  first  visit  and  returns  it. 

1 2th.  The  President  and  his  family 
take  precedence  everywhere,  in  public,  or 
private. 

13th.  The  President  when  in  any  State 
receives  the  first  visit  from  the  Governor 
and  returns  it. 


32  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

14th.  The  Governor  in  his  State  re- 
ceives the  first  visit  from  a  foreign  Min- 
ister. 

The  next  two  or  three  years  passed 
smoothly  and  pleasantly  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Madison;  he,  absorbed  in  his  work,  and 
always  a  great  reader,  left  all  social  duties 
to  her,  and  we  get  glimpses  of  their  many 
entertainments  through  her  letters. 

When  the  first  Turkish  Minister,  Meley 
Meley,  arrived  in  Washington  a  grand  ball 
was  given  in  his  honor,  to  which  the  beauty 
and  fashion  of  the  town  flocked,  curious  to 
see  his  elaborate  dress,  and  turban  made 
of  plaster  of  Paris,  representing  the  finest 
muslin.  He,  however,  showed  perfect  in- 
difference to  the  open  admiration  about 
him,  until  spying  a  large,  fat  negress  on 
her  way  from  the  kitchen,  he  rushed  to 
her,  and  with  much  enthusiasm  threw  his 
arms  around  her,  saying  she  reminded  him 
of  home  and  his  best  and  most  expensive 
wife,  **  A  load  for  a  camel." 

TO    MRS.    GENERAL    MASON. 

I  am  obliged,  my  charming  friend,  to 
announce  to  you  the  disappointment  in  my 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  33 

hopes  of  attending  your  agreeable  party 
to  Alexandria,  as  some  imperative  domes- 
tic engagements  forbid  (to  me)  such  an 
indulgence,  —  I  know  you  will  be  good 
enough  to  make  my  apology  to  Madame 
Buonaparte,  and  if  my  sister  can  contrib- 
ute to  your  pleasant  excursion,  she  will  go 
with  great  cheerfulness. 

With  affectionate  salutations  to  the  la- 
dies of  your  house,  believe  me. 

Truly  yours,  D.  P.  Madison. 

In  February,  1803,  Captain  Lewis  and 
Captain  Clark  were  sent  by  Mr.  Jefferson 
to  explore  the  Missouri  River,  and  discover 
the  best  communication  with  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  The  ladies  of  the  Cabinet,  partic- 
ularly Mrs.  Madison,  were  most  interested 
and  sympathetic,  providing  everything  that 
could  possibly  be  needed  in  such  a  perilous 
journey,  fearing  they  might  never  return 
from  the  distant  land  of  savages. 

Mr.  Jefferson  writes  to  his  friend.  Dr. 
Barton,  of  Philadelphia,  of  this  interesting 
expedition  :  — 

It  was  impossible  to  find    a    man  who, 
to  a  complete  science  in  Botany,  Natural 
3 


34  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

History,  Mineralogy,  and  Astronomy, 
joined  the  lirmness  of  constitution  and 
character,  prudence,  habits  adapted  to  the 
woods,  and  familiarity  with  the  Indian 
manners  and  habits  requisite  for  this  un- 
dertaking. 

All  the  latter  quahfications  Lewis  has  ; 
although  no  real  botanist,  etc.,  he  pos- 
sesses a  remarkable  store  of  accurate  in- 
formation on  all  subjects  of  the  three  king- 
doms, and  will  therefore  readily  single  out 
whatever  presents  itself  new  to  him  in 
either,  and  he  has  qualified  himself  for  tak- 
ing the  longitude  and  latitude  necessary 
to  fix  the  geography  of  the  line  he  passes 
through.  In  order  to  draw  his  attention 
at  once  to  the  objects  most  desirable,  I 
must  ask  of  you  to  prepare  for  him  a  note 
of  those  in  the  Hnes  of  Botany,  Zoology,  or 
of  Indian  history  which  you  think  most 
worthy  of  observation. 

Sincerely  your  friend, 

Thomas  Jefferson. 

In  the  same  year  Gilbert  Stuart,  the 
celebrated  portrait  painter,  came  to  Wash- 
ington, and  was  very  cordially  received.  It 
became  the  fashion  to  have  a  "  Stuart  por- 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  35 

trait,"  and  his  time  was  soon  very  fully- 
taken  up.  A  friend  writes  to  Mrs.  Madi- 
son, who  was  away  temporarily  :  "■  I  can  tell 
you  nothing  new.  Stuart  is  all  the  rage, 
he  is  almost  worked  to  death,  and  every 
one  afraid  that  they  will  be  the  last  to  be 
finished."  He  says,  "The  ladies  come  and 
say,  dear  Mr.  Stuart  I  am  afraid  you  will 
be  very  much  tired  ;  you  really  must  rest 
when  my  picture  is  done." 

His  great  success  seemed  to  lie  in  his 
power  to  interest  and  amuse  the  sitters  so 
that  they  forgot  themselves,  and  appeared 
simply  and  naturally.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Madison  were  painted  with  very  favorable 
results. 


36  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 


CHAPTER  V. 

In  1804,  Mrs.  Madison  writes  :  "  One  of 
the  greatest  griefs  of  my  life  has  come  to 
me,  in  the  parting  for  the  first  time  from 
my  sister-child." 

This  favorite  sister,  the  little  Anna,  who 
had  been  her  constant  companion  always, 
married  Richard  Cutts,  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  the  District  of  Maine,  then 
constituting  a  part  of  the  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts.  A  clever,  well-educated 
man,  having  studied  both  at  Harvard  Uni- 
versity and  in  Europe,  he  was  chosen  to 
represent  his  district  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight,  and  remained  through  six  succes- 
sive Congresses.  He  was  taken  immedi- 
ately into  the  warm  heart  of  his  sister- 
in-law,  and  the  wedding  was  a  scene  of 
great  gayety,  forming  an  irresistible  oppor- 
tunity for  Mrs.  Madison  to  give  pleasure 
to  everybody.  The  wedding-presents  of 
eighty  years  ago  differed  from  the  present 
gorgeous  display  of  jewels,  bric-a-brac,  etc., 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  37 

inasmuch  as  they  were  tokens  of  love  or 
friendship  made  by  the  hand  of  the  friend, 
elaborate  embroideries  from  sleeves  to  pin- 
cushions, paintings  and  original  poetry ; 
the  wife  of  the  Russian  Minister,  Madame 
Dashcoff,  sent  the  usual  wedding  present 
of  her  country  —  two  wine-coolers,  one 
filled  with  salt,  the  essence  of  life,  and 
the  other  with  bread,  the  staff  of  life. 
Parson  McCormick  performed  the  cere- 
mony. He  had  charge  of  the  only  church 
in  Washington  at  that  time,  a  church  at 
the  Navy  Yard,  to  which  the  President 
and  Cabinet  were  obliged  to  drive  two  or 
three  miles  through  muddy  roads  to  at- 
tend service.  To  avoid  this  he  very  often 
preached  in  the  Hall  of  the  State  or 
Treasury  Department. 

TO   ANXA   CUTTS. 

April  26,  1804. 
Though  few  are  the  days  passed  since 
you  left  me,  my  dearest  Anna,  they  have 
been  spent  in  anxious  impatience  to  hear 
from  you.  Your  letter  from  Baltimore  re- 
lieved my  mind,  and  the  one  from  Phila- 
delphia this  hour  received  gives  me  the 
greatest  pleasure.     To  trace  you  and  your 


38  MEMOIRS  AXD  LETTERS 

dear  husband  in  that  regretted  city,  where 
we  have  spent  our  early  years,  to  find  that 
even  there  you  can  recollect  with  affection 
the  solitary  being  you  have  left  behind,  re- 
flects a  ray  of  brightness  on  my  sombre 
prospects.  I  will  now  give  you  a  little 
sketch  of  our  times  here.  I  shut  myself 
up  from  the  time  you  entered  the  stage 
until  Saturday,  when  we  went  to  drive  in 
the  rain  with  Marshall  Brent.  All  our  ac- 
quaintance called  in  to  see  me  on  the  dif- 
ferent mornings.  Those  few  whom  I  saw 
seemed  to  sympathize  with  me  in  your 
loss  ! !  !  I  drank  tea  with  the  Fingeys  and 
Mrs.  Forest,  the  amount  of  visits  accom- 
plished. A  letter  from  the  President  an- 
nounces the  death  of  poor  Maria,  and  the 
consequent  misery  it  has  occasioned  them 
all.  This  is  among  the  many  proofs,  my 
dear  sister,  of  the  uncertainty  of  life.  A 
girl  so  young,  so  lovely!  All  the  efforts 
of  friends  and  doctors  availed  nothing.  I 
am  delighted  with  the  kind  attention  you 
meet  from  our  old  acquaintance,  and  have 
no  doubt  but  that  you  will  have  a  grateful 
welcome  in  all  the  places  you  are  destined 
to  visit.  Remember  me  to  the  McKeans, 
and  to  Sally  say  a  great  deal,  for  I  feel  a 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  39 

tenderness  for  her  and  her  husband,  inde- 
pendent of  circumstances. 

Your  devoted  sister,  Dolly. 

TO    MRS.    MADISON    FROM    HER    SISTER. 

Boston,  May,  1804. 
My  dearest  Dolly,  —  How  I  miss 
you  it  would  not  be  possible  to  say.  The 
town  of  Boston  is  all  confusion,  no  res:u- 
larity  anywhere,  and  after  Philadelphia 
and  New  York  it  seemed  as  if  I  should 
be  stifled ;  the  situations  and  prospects 
outside  of.  the  town  are  delightful,  but 
you  have  heard  from  others,  more  capable 
of  describing  it.  We  have  very  pleasant 
lodgings,  and  for  my  companion  the  famous 
Madame  Knox,  who  although  very  haughty 
I  find  pleasant  and  sensible.  Chess  is 
now  her  mania,  which  she  plays  extremely 
well,  only  too  often  for  my  fancy,  who  am 
not  of  late  so  partial  to  it.  Every  morn- 
ing after  breakfast,  there  is  a  summons 
from  her  ladyship,  which  if  I  attend  pins 
me  to  her  apron-string  until  time  to  dress 
for  dinner,  after  which  she  retires,  again 
inviting  me  to  battle.  Out  of  twenty-one 
games,  in  only  two,  and  a  drawn  game,  has 
she  shown  me  any  mercy ;  she  is  certainly 


40  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

the  most  successful  player  I  ever  encoun- 
tered. Thursday  we  dined  at  the  Mortons', 
an  extremely  pleasant  place,  the  house 
and  grounds  quite  tasteful.  Mrs.  Morton 
strikes  one  most  at  home,  believe  me,  and 
had  I  her  establishment  would  never  quit 
it  for  anything  in  Washington.  She  has 
four  fine  daughters,  all  women,  and  two  of 
them  very  pretty.  They  gave  us  a  hand- 
some dinner  and  a  pleasant  party,  with  a 
dash  at  Loo  in  the  evening,  to  please  Mrs. 
Knox,  I  suppose.  The  Federal  party  in 
Boston  prevails,  —  however,  in  spite  of  my 
connections,  I  find  much  civility  among 
them.  Always,  my  dearly  beloved  sister, 
much  love,  in  which  my  husband  joins  me. 
Yours  devotedly,  Anna. 

This  Mrs.  Knox  who  was  so  fond  of 
chess  was  the  wife  of  Washington's  favor- 
ite general,  and  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
handsomest  places  in  Maine,  at  Thomas- 
ton  ;  of  which  Mrs.  Madison's  sister  writes 
to  her :  "  We  have  not  yet  made  our  visit 
to  General  Knox,  though  we  have  received 
many  pressing  invitations  to  hasten  to  do 
so.  It  is  more  than  an  hundred  miles  from 
us,  and  I  have  an  antipathy  to  make  such 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  41 

an  addition  to  my  journey,  notwithstand- 
ing my  desire  to  see  the  country,  and  most 
of  all  their  princely  establishment,  which 
is  the  wonder  of  the  eastern  world." 

Mrs.  Knox's  mother  was  engaged  at  one 
time  to  the  son  of  Sir  William  Pepperell, 
and  great  preparations  were  made  for  the 
wedding.  A  house  was  built  and  furnished 
—  everything  was  done  that  money  and 
love  could  do  to  smooth  the  way  of  the 
happy  young  couple.  At  the  wedding, 
however,  standing  before  the  clergyman,  in 
the  midst  of  a  gay  party  of  friends,  the 
bride  suddenly  changed  her  mind  and 
walked  up  stairs,  saying  she  had  decided 
not  to  marry.  Two  days  after  this  the 
bridegroom  dropped  dead  in  the  street. 

TO  ANNA. 
Washington,  June^  1804. 
My  dearest  Anna,  —  How  delighted 
I  should  be  to  accompany  you  to  all  the 
charming  places  you  mentioned,  to  see  all 
the  kind  people,  and  to  play  Loo  with  Mrs. 
Knox.  Mr.  Madison  would  write,  but  is 
overwhelmed  with  business.  The  British, 
French,  and  Spanish  infringements  are  all 
under  his   pen ;   he   expects   General   A. 


42  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

every  day,  who  is  to  succeed  Mr.  Living- 
stone, to  receive  his  instructions.  He  al- 
ways sends  his  affectionate  love.  Mount 
Vernon  has  been  set  on  fire  five  different 
times,  and  it  is  suspected  some  malicious 
persons  are  determined  to  reduce  it  to 
ashes.  Oh,  the  wickedness  of  men  and 
women  !  I  am  afraid  to  accept  their  invi- 
tations. 

Washington,  July  i6,  1804. 

My  dearest  Anna,  — Yours  from  Maine 
reached  me  yesterday,  and  I  need  not  say 
how  delighted  I  am  at  your  description  of 
places  and  persons,  and  at  the  knowledge 
of  your  felicity.  We  go  to  Montpelier 
this  week.  Payne  continues  weak  and 
sick  ;  and  my  prospects  rise  and  fall  to 
sadness  as  this  precious  child  recovers  or 
declines.  You  have  heard,  no  doubt,  of 
the  terrible  duel  and  death  of  poor  Hamil- 
ton. I  sent  the  President  word  of  your 
offer  to  get  the  glass,  etc. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  43 

TO    MRS.    ISAAC    WINSTON. 

Aprils  1804. 
I  consider  myself  a  most  unlucky  being, 
my  dearest  aunt,  in  regard  to  my  letters 
to  you,  for  you  certainly  cannot  have  re- 
ceived my  two  last  or  you  would  have  al- 
luded  to  them   in   yours,  which  we   have 
this   moment   received.     What   must   my 
dear  uncle  think  of  me!  but  I  will  now 
take  the  opportunity  to  scold  you  for  not 
knowing  my  heart   better,  which  has   al- 
ways been  open  to  you,  —  you  speak  to  me 
in  apologies   for  my  Cousin  Dolly's  stay, 
when  I  have  considered  it  as  a  favor,  and  a 
very  great  pleasure,  only  wishing  we  could 
live  together  all  our  lives.     We  hope  and ' 
expect  to  go  to  you  in  May.     Public  busi- 
ness, perhaps,  was  never  thicker.     I  have 
just  received  a  long  letter  from  mamma, 
who  is  quite  well,  and   I   pray  that   your 
fears  may  not  be  realized,  my  dear  aunt, 
but  that  you  may  yet  spend  a  great  deal 
of  time  together  in  this  life.     I  should  be 
miserable,  indeed,  if  I  did  not  feel  such  a 
conviction.     I  am  taking  care  of  my  best 
prunes  and  figs  for  you.     Tell  dear  uncle 
I  am  ashamed  to  speak  to  him,  but  he  will 


44  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

see  by  this  that  it  was  not  my  fault.    Fare- 
well, dearest  aunt,  I   have  nothing  new  to 
tell  you  as  you  must  know  all  about  Burr. 
Ever  your  devoted,  Dolly. 

Missing  the  companionship  of  her  sis^ 
ter  and  craving  sympathy  and  love  always, 
Mrs,  Madison  persuaded  her  Cousin,  Dol- 
ly Winston,  to  live  with  her  for  a  time, 
and  later  on  Anna  Payne,  her  brother's 
child,  took  her  place,  and  became  like  a 
daughter  in  her  old  age,  remaining  with 
her  until  her  death.  In  the  years  when 
the  kind,  unselfish  old  lady  found  herself 
too  weak  to  wield  a  pen,  she  begged  her 
niece  to  copy  her  handwriting,  not  to  dis- 
appoint the  many  who  valued  little  notes 
from  her,  which  she  did  so  successfully 
that  the  harmless  subterfuge  was  never 
discovered. 

In  the  spring  of  1804  Baron  Humboldt 
came  to  Washington,  and  Mrs.  Madison 
writes  of  his  attractiveness  to  the  absent 
sister,  whom  she  kept  informed  of  every- 
thing she  was  doing  and  thinking :  — 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  45 


TO   ANNA. 


We  spent  last  evening  at  Mr.  Pichon's. 
Our  city  is  now  almost  deserted,  and  will 
be  more  so  in  a  week  or  two.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  T.  sat  yesterday  for  the  last  time  to 
Stuart.  He  has  now  nearly  finished  all  his 
portraits,  and  says  he  means  to  go  directly 
to  Boston,  but  that  is  what  he  has  said 
these  two  years ;  being  a  man  of  genius, 
he  of  course  does  things  differently  from 
other  people.  I  hope  he  will  be  here  next 
winter,  as  he  has  bought  a  square  to  build 
a  "  Temple  "  upon.  Where  will  you  cele- 
brate the  Fourth  of  July,  my  dear  sister } 
We  are  to  have  grand  doings  here.  Mr. 
Van  Ness  is  to  deliver  an  oration,  Mr.  L. 
says,  in  the  woods,  and  the  ladies  are  to 
be  permitted  to  partake  of  the  mirth.  We 
have  lately  had  a  great  treat  in  the  com- 
pany of  a  charming  Prussian  Baron.  All 
the  ladies  say  they  are  in  love  with  him, 
notwithstanding  his  want  of  personal 
charms.  He  is  the  most  polite,  modest, 
well-informed,  and  interesting  traveller  we 
have  ever  met,  and  is  much  pleased  with 
America.  I  hope  one  day  you  will  become 
acquainted  with  our  charming  Baron  Hum- 


46  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

boldt.  He  sails  in  a  few  days  for  France 
with  his  companions,  and  is  going  to  pub- 
lish an  account  of  his  travels  in  South 
America,  where  he  lived  five  years  ;  pro- 
posing to  return  here  again.  He  had  with 
him  a  train  of  philosophers,  who,  though 
clever  and  entertaining,  did  not  compare 
to  the  Baron. 

TO   ANNA. 

May  22,  1804. 
I  am  always  rejoiced  to  hear  from  you, 
dearest  Anna,  and  glad  you  have  recovered 
my  letters.  There  is  so  much  I  could  tell 
you  about  these  new  French  people,  things 
that  could  not  fail  to  divert  you,  but  I 
must  forbear,  and.  am  learning  to  hold  my 

tongue   well.      Madame   shows    me 

everything  she  has,  and  would  fain  give 
me  of  everything.  She  decorates  herself 
according  to  the  French  ideas,  and  urges 
me  to  do  the  same.  She  is  very  anxious 
to  see  my  "  belle  soeur,"  as  she  styles  you, 
and  oh  !  Anna,  Fm  dying  to  come  to  your 
country;  if  I  could  only  be  with  you  how 
glad  I  should  be. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  47 

TO   ANNA. 

MoNTPELiER,  June  3,  1804. 
I  have  received  all  your  letters,  my  dear- 
est Anna,  one  from  Boston,  in  which  my 
dear  brother  adds  his  mite  of  amusement 
for  Madison  and  myself,  with  one  from 
your  own  house.  I  rejoice  more  in  the 
last  ;  the  former  frightened  me  a  little,  but 
we  hope  from  the  public  prints  that  we 
shall  not  be  quite  outdone  by  the  Feder- 
alists this  time.  We  are  still  in  Orange, 
and  shall  not  leave  it  before  the  gth  or 
loth.  I  have  been  very  ill  since  I  wrote 
last,  with  inflammatory  rheumatism  ;  never 
had  I  more  extreme  pain  in  sickness.  Dr. 
WilHs  bled  me,  and  Mother  Madison 
nursed,  and  waited  upon  me  with  great  at- 
tention and  kindness.  We  have  had  a 
continual  round  of  company,  which  has 
been  burdensome,  though  I  've  had  no 
trouble  with  it ;  the  day  I  was  most  ill, 
fifteen  or  twenty  of  the  family  and  connec- 
tion dined  here,  and  I  did  not  quit  my  bed, 
or  know  anything  about  them.  I  have  a 
long  letter  from  the  Marchioness  d'Yrujo, 
who  speaks  of  you  like  a  good  friend. 
Ah  !  my  dear,  you  little  know  the  triumph 


48  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

I  feel  when  I  hear  of  you  and  your  be- 
loved husband  in  the  way  that  so  many 
speak  of  you  !  If  Payne  was  a  man,  mar- 
ried, and  gone  from  me,  I  could  not  feel 
more  sensibly  everything  that  regarded 
him  than  I  do  for  you  both.  Stuart  has 
taken  an  admirable  likeness  of  Mr.  Madi- 
son ;  both  his  and  mine  are  finished. 
Devotedly  yours, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON. 


49 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Always  amiable  and  conciliatory  in 
dealing  with  friends  or  slaves,  Mrs.  Madi- 
son's popularity  grew  day  by  day.  Her 
politeness  was  that  which  comes  from  the 
heart,  and  cannot  be  imitated  by  those 
who  have  not  the  love  and  sympathy  ready 
to  be  called  forth  at  all  times. 

She  complains  of  being  ''  put  forward 
by  Mr.  Jefferson,"  to  her  sister  Anna  (who 
spent  a  part  of  every  year  in  Maine),  and 
describes  a  state  dinner  at  the  "White 
House"  to  which  many  of  the  Diplomats 
were  invited,  when,  to  her  surprise,  the 
President  stepped  forward  and  offered  her 
his  arm,  as  the  wife  of  the  Secretary  of 
State ;  she  demurred,  and  whispered,  **Take 
Mrs.  Merry"  (the  wife  of  the  British  Min- 
ister) ;  but  firmly  refusing,  she  was  obliged 
then  and  always,  during  his  administra- 
tion, to  take  the  head  of  the  table.  Mrs. 
Merry,  feeling  deeply  insulted,  seized  her 
husband's  arm,  and  walked  in  behind  them  ; 
4 


50  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

afterwards  they  complained  to  their  gov- 
ernment of  bad  treatment,  and  were  re- 
called. 

She  used  to  tell  a  little  anecdote  of  her- 
self, at  the  time  when  delegations  of  In- 
dians were  brought  to  Washington  on  one 
plea  or  another,  and  entertained  by  the 
Cabinet.  After  a  supper  given  to  some  of 
these  red  men  by  the  Secretary  of  State, 
Mrs.  Madison,  on  the  point  of  retiring, 
happened  to  look  in  her  mirror,  and  saw 
there  the  reflection  of  an  Indian  in  all  his 
war  paint,  behind  the  door  ;  taking  care 
not  to  catch  his  eye,  she  paused  a  moment 
to  avoid  suspicion,  then  walking  quietly 
into  the  other  room,  rang  the  bell,  and  re- 
turned to  her  toilet.  The  bell  was  an- 
swered by  a  tall  negro,  who,  with  her  help, 
gently  persuaded  the  astonished  man  that 
he  had  made  a  mistake. 

In  1805  Mrs.  Madison  injured  her  knee, 
which,  on  being  neglected,  threatened  to 
prove  a  serious  accident,  and  she  writes 
despondingly  of  recovery. 

Washington,  Jmie  4,  1805. 
My  dearest   Anna,  —  I    write   to  you 
from  my  bed,  to  which  I  have  been  con- 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  5  I 

fined  for  ten  days  with  a  bad  knee  ;  it  has 
become  very  painful,  and  two  doctors  have 
appUed  caustic  with  the  hope  of  getting 
me  well,  but  Heaven  only  knows  !  I  feel 
as  if  I  should  never  walk  again.  My  dear 
husband  insists  upon  taking  me  to  Phila- 
delphia to  be  under  Dr.  Physic's  care,  but 
he  cannot  stay  with  me,  and  I  dread  the 
separation. 

Yesterday  we  had  brother  George, 
Thornton,  and  Lawrence  Washington  to 
spend  the  day,  and  I  enjoyed  the  sound 
of  Virginia  hilarity  echoing  through  the 
house  ;  George  coughs  incessantly,  looks 
thin  and  hoarse,  but  has  no  idea  of  dying. 
Since  I  wrote  you  two  days  past,  I  have 
heard  sad  things  of  Tourreau,  —  that  he 
whips  his  wife,  and  abuses  her  dreadfully  ; 
I  pity  her  sincerely  ;  she  is  an  amiable, 
sensible  woman.  A  letter  from  Mount 
Vernon  begging  me  to  come  there,  but 
alas  !  I  shall  walk  no  more. 

Yours  ever,  Dolly. 

General  Tourreau  was  Minister  from 
France  under  the  reign  of  Egalite,  and  his 
career  seems  to  have  been  one  character- 
istic of  that  period.     Of  obscure  birth,  but 


52  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

handsome  and  clever,  he  made  his  way  up, 
and  became  an  aide  to  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte. 

In  the  rapid  changes  of  popular  favor, 
he,  who  had  shown  nothing  but  extreme 
cruelty  when  in  power,  was  condemned  to 
death,  and  his  door  marked  with  the  fatal 
guide  to  the  bloody  guillotiners.  A  ser- 
vant-girl employed  about  the  jail,  taking  a 
rude  interest  in  the  handsome  gentleman, 
rubbed  out  the  mark  and*  so  saved  his  life, 
in  return  for  which  he  married  her ;  the 
alliance,  of  course,  proved  to  be  a  most  un- 
happy one,  ending  in  a  separation  at  the 
time  he  was  representing  his  country  in 
Washington. 

TO   ANNA. 

Washington,  July  8,  1805. 
Still,  my  dear  Anna,  must  your  sister 
write  to  you  from  the  bed.  My  knee  will 
keep  me  in  Washington  longer,  I  fear, 
than  will  be  conducive  to  our  health  or  in- 
terest. I  have  nothing  new  to  tell  you, 
for  the  town  is  dull  and  vacant.  The 
President  goes  in  a  week,  and  we  were  all 
to  go  about  the  same  time,  but  for  the  rea- 
son given.  I  feel  now  very  impatient  to 
be  in  Montpelier,  and  have  confidence  in 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  53 

the  change  of  air,  though  this  place  seems 
to  be  healthy,  if  terribly  warm  and  dry. 
I  had  a  long  friendly  note  from  the  Presi- 
dent yesterday,  begging  me  to  get  Vir- 
ginia's (his  granddaughter)  wedding  gar- 
ments, also  trinkets  and  dresses  for  all  the 
family.  I  shall  drive  to  the  shops,  but  am 
not  able  to  alight ;  and  so  little  variety  in 
Georgetown  ;  but  I  must  do  my  best  for 
them,  and  have  promised  to  be  at  the  wed- 
ding, if  possible,  the  last  of  this  month. 
But  I  have  scarcely  a  wish,  and  no  expec- 
tation of  going.  How  I  should  rejoice  to 
be  with  you,  dear  Anna,  though  I  could 
not  have  the  pleasure  of  playing  nurse  to 
you  now,  as  I  never  leave  my  room  but  to 
drive.  The  Fourth  of  July  I  spent  at  the 
President's,  sitting  quite  still,  and  amusing 
myself  with  the  mob.     Farewell. 

Your  own  sister,  Dolly. 

TO  ANNA. 
Philadelphia,  July  29, 1805. 
If  my  beloved  sister  has  received  my 
last  from  Washington,  she  will  be  unhappy 
to  find  that  I  was  obliged  to  take  this  jour- 
ney in  such  dangerously  hot  weather,  but 
it  proved  not  unpleasant,  for  I  was  easier 


54  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

riding  than  in  any  other  position.  My 
health  and  spirits  revived  every  day  with 
the  drive,  and  here  I  am  on  my  bed,  with 
my  dear  husband  sitting  anxiously  by  me, 
who  is  my  most  willing  nurse.  But  you 
know  how  delicate  he  is.  I  tremble  for 
.him  ;  one  night  on  the  way  he  was  taken 
very  ill  with  his  old  complaint,  and  I  could 
not  fly  to  aid  him  as  I  used  to  do.  Heaven 
in  its  mercy  restored  him  next  morning, 
and  he  would  not  pause  until  he  heard  my 
fate  from  Doctor  Physic. 

Your  devoted  sister,  Dolly. 

TO    ANNA. 

Philadelphia,  July  31,  1805. 
My  dear  Sister,  —  We  are  in  excel- 
lent lodgings  on  Sansom  Street,  and  I  feel 
like  another  being.  Dr.  Physic  has  put 
my  knee  in  splints  and  promises  me  a 
cure  in  time.  I  have  the  world  to  see  me, 
and  many  invitations  to  the  houses  of  the 
gentry,  but  withstand  all,  to  be  at  ease 
here.  I  have  not  seen  where  I  am,  yet, 
and  the  longer  I  stay,  the  less  do  the  van- 
ities tempt  me,  though,  as  you  know,  I 
usually  like  the  routs  all  too  well.  You 
ask  who  is  kindest  to  me  here,  and  I  can 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  55 

tell  you  that,  among  a  number,  Betsey 
Pemberton  bears  off  the  palm.  Never 
can  I  forget  Betsey,  who  has  been  to  me 
what  you  would  have  been.  I  have  had  a 
lecture  from  S.  L.  on  seeing  too  much 
company,  and  it  brought  to  my  mind  the 
time  when  our  society  used  to  control  me 
entirely,  and  debar  me  from  so  many  ad- 
vantages and  pleasures  ;  even  now,  I  feel 
my  ancient  terror  revive  in  a  great  degree. 
Madison  is  well,  though  besieged  with  call- 
ers ;  he  sends  his  love  to  you  both,  as  I  do. 
Ever  your  devoted  Dolly. 

Dr.  Physic,  an  eminent  physician  in 
Philadelphia,  having  promised  to  cure  the 
lame  knee,  Mr.  Madison,  with  great  reluc- 
tance, left  her  and  returned  to  Washing- 
ton, to  his  official  duties  ;  from  there  he 
WTites  frequently  of  his  loneliness  and  anx- 
iety. This,  almost  the  first  separation 
since  their  marriage,  seems  to  have  been 
great  pain,  too,  to  Mrs.  Madison,  and  she 
writes  full  of  anxiety  for  his  health,  after 
the  long  weary  drive  from  Philadelphia  to 
Washington,  albeit  he  was  put  under  the 
care  of  their  faithful  attendant,  "  black 
Peter." 


56  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

TO    MR.    MADISON. 

Philadelphia,  October  2^,,  1805. 
A  few  hours  only  have  passed  since  you 
left  me,  my  beloved,  and  I  find  nothing 
can  relieve  the  oppression  of  my  mind  but 
speaking  to  you,  in  this,  the  only  way. 
Dr.  Physic  called  before  you  had  gone  far, 
but  I  could  only  find  voice  to  tell  him  my 
knee  felt  better.  Betsey  Pemberton  and 
Amy  (her  maid)  are  sitting  by  me,  and 
seem  to  respect  the  grief  they  know  I  feel 
at  even  so  short  a  separation  from  one  who 
is  all  to  me.  I  shall  be  better  when  Peter 
returns  with  news,  not  that  any  length  of 
time  could  lessen  my  first  regret,  but  an 
assurance  that  you  are  well  and  easy  will 
contribute  to  make  me  so.  I  have  sent 
the  books  and  note  to  Mrs.  D.  Betsey 
puts  on  your  hat  to  divert  me,  but  I  can- 
not look  at  her. 

October  24.  —  What  a  sad  day  !  The 
watchman  announced  a  cloudy  morning 
at  one  o'clock,  and  from  that  moment  I 
found  myself  unable  to  sleep,  from  anx- 
iety for  thee,  my  dearest  husband.  De- 
tention, cold,  and  accident  seem  to  menace 
thee.     Betsey,  who  lay  beside  me,  admin- 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  $7 

istered  several  drops  of  laudanum,  which 
had  a  partial  effect.  Every  one  is  most 
kind  and  attentive. 

October  25. — This  clear,  cold  morning 
will  favor  your  journey,  and  enliven  the 
feelings  of  my  darling.  I  have  nothing 
new  to  tell  you.  The  knee  is  mending, 
and  I  sit  just  as  you  left  me.  The  doctor, 
during  his  short  visits,  talks  of  you.  He 
regards  you  more  than  any  man  he  knows, 
and  nothing  could  please  him  so  much  as 
a  prospect  of  passing  his  life  near  you  ; 
sentiments  so  congenial  to  my  own,  and  in 
such  cases,  like  dew-drops  on  flowers,  ex- 
hilarate as  they  fall.  The  Governor,  I 
hear,  has  arrived,  and  is  elated  with  his 
good  fortune.  General  Moreau  is  expected 
in  town  very  shortly,  to  partake  of  a  grand 
dinner  the  citizens  are  about  to  give  him. 
Adieu,  my  beloved,  our  hearts  understand 
each  other.     In  fond  affection  thine, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 

TO    MR.    MADISON. 

Philadelphia,  October  7.6,  1805. 
My     dearest     Husband,  —  Peter    re- 
turned   safe    with  your    dear    letter,    and 
cheered   me  with   a  favorable   account   of 


58  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

the  prospects  of  your  getting  home  in  the 
stage,  I  was  sorry  you  could  not  ride 
further  in  our  carriage,  as  it  might  have 
spared  you  fatigue. 

In  my  dreams  of  last  night,  I  saw  you 
in  your  chamber,  unable  to  move,  from 
riding  so  far  and  so  fast.  I  pray  that  an 
early  letter  from  you  may  chase  away  the 
painful  impression  of  this  vision.  I  am 
still  improving,  and  shall  observe  strictly 
what  you  say  on  the  subject  of  the  doc- 
tor's precepts. 

October  28.  —  I  have  this  moment  re- 
ceived the  letters  you  inclosed  from  Wash- 
ington. I  rejoice  to  hear  you  are  there, 
and  shall  await  the  next  post  with  impa- 
tience ;  by  that,  you  will  speak  of  your- 
self. The  Marquis  and  Marchioness  came 
to  see  me  yesterday,  with  many  other 
friends.  I  am  getting  well  as  fast  as  I 
can,  for  I  have  the  reward  in  view  of  then 
seeing  my  beloved.  Tell  me  if  Mrs.  Ran- 
dolph is  expected,  and  all  the  news  you 
shall  have  time  and  patience  to  give  me. 
I  have  written  you  every  day  since  we 
parted,  but  am  so  shut  up  that  I  can  say 
nothing  to  amuse  ;  when  I  begin  to  drive 
out,  I  hope  to  become  a  more  interesting 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  59 

correspondent.  Did  you  see  the  Bishop, 
or  engage  a  place  at  school  for  Payne  ? 
Farewell,  until  to-morrow,  my  best  friend  ; 
think  of  thy  wife,  who  thinks  and  dreams 
of  thee.  Dolly. 

TO    MR.    MADISON. 

Philadelphia,  October  ^^o^  1805. 
I  have  at  this  moment  perused  with  de- 
light thy  letter,  my  darling  husband,  with 
its  inclosures.  To  find  you  love  me,  have 
my  child  safe,  and  that  my  mother  is  well, 
seems  to  comprise  all  my  happiness.  The 
doctor  has  ordered  me  some  drops,  which 
I  take  dutifully.  I  walk  about  the  room, 
and  hope  a  few  days  more  will  enable  me 
to  ride,  so  that  you  may  expect  me  to  fly 
to  you  as  soon  —  ah  !  I  wish  I  might  say 
how  soon.  Madame  Pichon  writes  me  an 
affectionate  letter,  and  begs  me  to  accept 
a  pair  of  ear-rings  for  her  sake.  You  no 
doubt  have  them,  as  they  are  not  with  the 
letter.  I  am  punctual  in  delivering  to 
Betsey  all  your  commands,  and  she  insists 
on  adding  a  postscript  to  this  which  I  am 
not  to  see.  I  have  also  a  letter  from  the 
President,  asking  me  to  procure  several 
articles  for  Mrs.  Randolph,  which  I  shall 


60  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

soon  be  able  to  do,  by  driving  to  the  shop 
doo;:s.  There  have  been  many  callers  to- 
day, and  pressing  invitations.  It  is  now 
past  nine  o'clock,  and  I  cease  to  write, 
only  to  dream  of  thee.  Tell  Mrs.  Thorn- 
ton I  am  having  the  model  of  a  bonnet 
made  for  her;  the  new  ones  are  just  com- 
ing in.     Write  soon  to  thy  devoted 

Dolly. 

to  mr.  madison. 
Philadelphia,  November  i,  1805. 
I  have  great  pleasure,  my  beloved,  in  re- 
peating to  you  what  the  doctor  has  just 
told  me — that  I  may  reasonably  hope  to 
leave  this  place  in  a  fortnight  ;  I  am  so 
impatient  to  be  restored  to  you.  I  wish 
you  would  indulge  me  with  some  informa- 
tion respecting  the  war  with  Spain,  and 
the  disagreement  with  England,  which  is 
so  generally  expected.  You  know  I  am 
not  much  of  a  politician,  but  I  am  ex- 
tremely anxious  to  hear  (as  far  as  you 
think  proper)  what  is  going  forward  in  the 
Cabinet.  On  this  subject,  I  believe  you 
would  not  desire  your  wife  to  be  the  ac- 
tive partisan  that  our  neighbor  is,  Mrs. 
L.,  nor  will  there  be  the  slightest  danger, 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  6 1 

while  she  is  conscious  of  her  want  of  tal- 
ents, and  the  diffidence  in  expressing  those 
opinions,  always  imperfectly  understood  by 
her  sex.  Kiss  my  child  for  me,  and  re- 
member me  to  my  friends.  Adieu,  my  dear 
husband.  Peter  brings  me  no  letter  from 
you,  which  really  unfits  me  from  writing 
more  to  any  one. 

Your  ever  affectionate  Dolly. 

TO  MR.  MADISON. 
Philadelphia,  November  15,  1805. 
My  darling  Husband, — I  have  just 
parted  from  Colonel  Patton,  who  is  well 
pleased  with  the  payment  of  the  horses, 
and  congratulated  me  on  possessing  such 
a  handsome  pair.  I  went  to  pay  some 
visits  this  morning,  and  on  my  return 
found  Anthony  Morris  waiting,  with  a  pe- 
tition from  his  wife  that  I  would  let  him 
wait  upon  me  to  her  house  for  some  days  ; 
but  am  too  fearful  of  taxing  my  strength, 
much  as  I  love  these  old  and  dear  friends. 
I  see  that  Jackson's  paper  has  announced 
the  declaration  of  war  from  Spain  against 
us,  and  that  the  Marquis  d'Yrujo  has  re- 
quested his  passport.  He  was  here  with 
other  company  last  evening.    Mrs.  Stewart 


62  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

inquired  if  this  was  true,  and  he  became 
terribly  angry.  Thureau  is  ill,  but  goes 
abroad  too.  The  impression  of  him  in 
Philadelphia  is  a  sad  one  ;  he  is  remem- 
bered as  the  cruel  commander  at  La  Ven- 
dee, and  the  fighting  husband.  I  am  about 
to  put  up  the  articles  for  the  President, 
and  will  inclose  a  note  for  you,  too. 

November  17.  —  Anna  and  her  husband 
arrived  last  evening,  my  beloved,  and  so 
pleased  and  agitated  was  I,  that  I  could 
not  sleep.  We  will  leave  on  Monday,  if  I 
am  quite  strong  enough ;  but  I  will  wait 
your  commands.  Farewell,  my  beloved 
one.  Dolly. 

Having  entirely  recovered  from  all 
trouble  with  her  knee,  Mrs.  Madison,  to 
her  great  joy,  joined  her  husband  and  child 
in  Washington.  From  there  they  went  for 
a  month  or  two  in  summer  to  the  dearly- 
loved  Montpelier,  and  she  writes  in  great 
grief,  at  hearing  of  the  death  of  a  little 
niece  and  namesake. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON  63 

TO    MRS.    JOHN    PAYNE. 

MONTPELIER,  August  4,   1806. 

Expressions  are  wanting,  my  clearest 
mother,  to  convey  to  you  my  feelings  ;  I 
have  not  been  very  well  since  hearing 
from  poor  Mary,  and  it  seems  to  me  I  can 
never  feel  as  I  have  done.  Dolly  and 
Lucy  both  gone !  they  are  now  angels,  and 
can  never  know  evil  or  misery  ;  ought  we 
not  to  console  ourselves  with  this  reflec- 
tion ?  I  trust  my  beloved  mother,  whose 
trials  have  been  so  many,  will  exercise  her 
fortitude,  which  is  to  preserve  her  for 
those  of  us  that  are  left.  I  wrote  thee  by 
the  last  post,  and  have  written  repeatedly 
to  John,  but  received  only  the  inclosed  let- 
ters. I  shall  now  look  out  for  vessels  go- 
ing to  the  Mediterranean,  and  write  by 
them  to  him  ;  thine  for  him,  thee  had  bet- 
ter inclose  to  me.  Payne  is  to  follow  us 
in  the  stage  on  the  14th  ;  I  am  looking  for 
a  letter  to  cheer  me  with  news  of  thy 
health.  Ever  thine,  affectionately, 

Dolly. 


64  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

TO  ANNA. 
Washington,  March  27,  1807. 
I  am  grieved,  my  dear  Anna,  at  not 
hearing  a  word  from  you  since  you  left  us  ! 
What  can  be  the  matter  ?  If  the  precious 
children  engross  your  time,  surely  my 
good  brother  would  think  to  relieve  my 
anxiety  by  writing  himself.  This  is  the 
twelfth  day  of  your  absence,  and  I  know 
not  where  to  direct  to  you,  but  shall  ven- 
ture this  to  Philadelphia  ;  the  postmaster 
will  forward  it,  should  you  be  gone.  Mr. 
Madison  is  very  unwell  with  a  cold,  but  is 
able  to  go  to  the  office.  We  see  no  cer- 
tain prospect  of  going  to  Orange  yet.  The 
President  has  a  sick  headache  every  day, 
and  is  obliged  to  retire  to  a  dark  room 
every  morning  by  nine  o'clock ;  he  will 
not  leave  this  until  April  6th.  I  suppose 
you  have  heard  that  Burr  is  retaken,  and 
on  his  way  to  Richmond  for  trial.  We 
are  quiet,  and  have  but  few  parties.  We 
went  to  the  wedding  feast  of  Miss  Stod- 
dard, and  dined  last  Saturday  with  Mr. 
Erskine.  Miss  Clinton  is  still  here  with 
her  father,  but  they  have  sent  for  a  vessel, 
and  intend  sailing  in  a  few  days. 

Ever  thy  loving  sister,        Dolly. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  65 

Always  taking  an  intense  interest  in 
every  movement  of  this  favorite  sister, 
whose  children  were,  as  she  says,  like  her 
own  grandchildren,  Mrs.  Madison  kept  up 
a  constant  correspondence  through  the 
long  summers  of  those  eight  years  when, 
with  one  sister  in  Maine  and  one  in  Vir- 
ginia, the  ''  post "  must  indeed  have  been 
anxiously  watched  for.  What  might  not 
happen  during  the  days  and  weeks  that  it 
took  a  letter  to  travel  from  one  to  the 
other  ? 

TO    ANNA. 
MONTPELIER,  August  28,  1808. 

With  heartfelt  joy,  my  beloved  sister, 
did  I  receive  the  short  letter  of  my  brother, 
giving  the  good  tidings  of  your  third  son, 
and  the  promising  health  of  you  both. 
Mr.  Madison,  Lucy,  George,  and  Payne 
were  with  me,  and  we  all  clapped  our 
hands  in  triumph.  The  post  did  not  come 
for  a  week  after  the  letter,  or  I  should  have 
written  you  directly ;  and  since  that  we 
have  passed  nearly  a  week  at  Monticello. 
Mrs.  Randolph  has  a  third  son  likewise, 
and  she  calls  him  Benjamin  Franklin. 
Ann  is  to  be  married  on  the  15th,  and  I 


^  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

left  them  busy  in  their  preparations.  The 
Monroes  were  at  their  seat  near  here,  but 
I  did  not  see  much  of  them. 

Lucy  left  me  on  the  24th,  and  George 
seemed  no  better.  We  expect  to  go  back 
to  the  city  the  last  of  September,  because 
of  public  business.  The  President  and 
Madison  have  been  greatly  perplexed  by 
the  remonstrances  from  so  many  towns 
to  remove  the  Embargo.  You  see  they 
refer  to  Congress,  and  the  evading  it  is 
a  terrible  thing.  Madison  is  uneasy  and 
feels  bound  to  return  to  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment, where  I  shall  be  sorry  to  go  so 
soon.  The  hope  of  my  meeting  you,  dear 
Anna,  is  the  chief  sweetener  to  my  pros- 
pect. The  family  here  are  as  they  always 
are,  most  affectionate  and  kind,  and  send  a 
thousand  loves  to  you.  I  expect  a  large 
party  to  fill  the  house  next  week. 

Ever  thy  Dolly. 

TO    MRS.    MADISON. 

Washington,  August  17,  1809. 
My  Dearest,  — We  reached  the  end  of 
our  journey  yesterday  at  one  o'clock,  with- 
out interruption  of  any  sort  on  the  road. 
Mr.  Coles  had  been  here  some  time,  and 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  6/ 

one,  if  not  two,  of  the  expected  despatch 
vessels  of  England  had  just  arrived,  and 
Mr.  Gilston,  after  a  short  passage  from 
France,  entered  Washington  about  the  mo- 
ment I  did.  You  may  guess,  therefore,  the 
volumes  of  papers  before  us.  I  am  but 
just  dipping  into  them,  and  have  seen  no 
one  as  yet,  except  Mrs.  Smith  for  a  few- 
minutes  last  evening.  What  number  of 
days  I  may  be  detained  here  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  say.  The  period,  you  may  be  sure, 
will  be  shortened  as  much  as  possible. 
Everything  around  and  within  reminds  me 
that  you  are  absent,  and  makes  me  anxious 
to  quit  this  solitude.  I  hope  in  my  next 
to  be  able  to  say  when  I  may  have  this 
gratification,  perhaps  also  to  say  something 
of  the  intelligence  just  brought  us.  I  send 
the  paper  of  this  morning,  which  has  some- 
thing on  the  subject,  and  I  hope  the  com- 
munications of  Gilston  will  be  found  more 
favorable  than  is  stated.  Those  from  Eng- 
land can  scarcely  be  favorable  when  such 
men  hold  the  reins.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erskine 
are  here.  His  successor  had  not  sailed  on 
the  20th  of  June. 

God  bless  you,  and  be  assured  of  my 
constant  affection.  James  Madison. 


6S  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Jefferson's  administration  was  now 
drawing  to  a  close.  The  territorial  area 
of  the  United  States  had  been  greatly  ex- 
tended. Burr's  wicked  and  dangerous 
conspiracy  had  come  to  naught.  Pioneers 
were  pouring  into  the  Valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. Explorers  had  crossed  the  moun- 
tains of  the  great  West.  The  woods  by 
the  river-shores  resounded  with  the  blow 
of  the  axe.  But  the  foreign  relations 
of  the  United  States  were  troubled  and 
gloomy,  and  there  were  serious  forebod- 
ings of  war.  The  President,  following  the 
example  of  Washington,  declined  a  third 
election,  and  was  succeeded  by  James 
Madison,  with  George  Clinton  for  Vice- 
President,  in  1809.  Mr.  Madison  owed  his 
election  to  the  Democratic  party,  whose 
sympathy  with  France  and  hostility  to 
Great  Britain  were  well  known.  Three 
days  before  the  new  administration  came 
into  power,  the  Embargo  Act  was  repealed 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  69 

by  Congress ;  but  another  measure  was 
adopted  instead,  called  the  Non  -  Inter- 
course Act.  By  its  terms  American  mer- 
chantmen were  allowed  to  go  abroad,  but 
were  forbidden  to  trade  with  Great  Britain. 
The  affairs  of  the  two  nations  were  fast 
approaching  a  crisis.  It  became  more  and 
more  evident  that  the  wrongs  perpetrated 
by  England  against  the  United  States 
would  have  to  be  corrected  by  force  of 
arms.  The  ministry  of  that  same  George 
III.,  with  whom  the  Colonies  had  struggled 
in  the  Revolution,  still  directed  the  affairs 
of  the  kingdom ;  from  him,  now  grown 
old  and  insane,  nothing  was  to  be  expected. 
The  elections  held  between  1808  and  181 1 
showed  conclusively  the  drift  of  public 
opinion ;  the  sentiment  of  the  country 
was  that  war  was  preferable  to  further 
humiliation  and  disgrace.  In  1809,  Mr. 
Jefferson  writes  :  ''  The  belligerent  edicts 
rendered  our  Embargo  necessary  to  call 
home  our  ships,  our  seamen  and  property. 
We  expected  some  effect,  too,  from  the 
coercion  of  interest.  Some,  it  has  had, 
but  much  less  on  account  of  evasions  and 
domestic  opposition  to  it.  After  fifteen 
months'  continuance  it  is  now  stopped,  be- 


70  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

cause  by  losing  so  much  money  annually 
it  really  costs  more  than  war.  War  there- 
fore must  follow  unless  the  edicts  are  re- 
pealed before  the  meeting  of  Congress." 

Many  and  sincere  were  the  congratula- 
tions received  by  Mrs.  Madison  on  going 
into  the  White  House.  Every  one  in 
Washington  felt  that  her  watchful  care 
and  friendly  interest  would  in  no  wise  be 
diminished  by  her  advancement  to  a  higher 
position ;  and  the  magical  effect  of  her 
dainty  snuff-box  was  as  potent  in  one  ca- 
pacity as  another.  Political  feuds  ran  high, 
and  party  spirit  was  never  more  virulent 
than  at  that  time.  The  elements  were 
various  and  difficult  to  harmonize  ;  yet  she 
was  loved  by  all  parties,  and  embittered 
politicians,  who  never  met  save  at  her  hos- 
pitable board,  forgot  all  their  quarrels  un- 
der the  influence  of  her  gracious  tact. 
During  the  eight  years  of  her  life  as  wife 
of  the  Secretary  of  State,  she  dispensed 
with  a  liberal  hand  the  abundant  wealth 
she  prized  so  little,  and  the  poor  of  the 
District  loved  her  name  as  that  of  a  house- 
hold deity.  Finding  time  always  among 
her  many  social  and  domestic  duties  to 
take  her  part  in  the  administration  of  the 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  7 1 

local  charities,  I  find  her  name  down  in  the 
books  of  the  Washington  Orphan  Asylum 
(now  one  of  the  most  prosperous  in  the 
country),  as  one  of  the  first  directresses, 
and  the  donor  of  twenty  dollars  and  a 
cow.  The  forms  and  ceremonials  which 
rendered  Mrs.  Washington's  and  Mrs. 
Adams's  drawing-rooms  dull  and  tiresome 
were  laid  aside,  and  no  stiffness  of  any 
kind  was  permitted.  She  returned  all  calls 
made  her  by  her  own  sex,  and  the  "  dove 
parties,"  composed  of  the  wives  of  Cabi- 
net Officers  and  foreign  Ministers,  when 
their  lords  were  engaged  in  formal  din- 
ners, were  exceedingly  popular  and  lively. 
Her  private  parties,  and  the  lotteries  in 
which  every  guest  received  a  "  Cadeau," 
are  still  remembered  with  great  pleasure 
by  a  few.  Though  in  no  sense  a  learned 
woman,  nor  one  who  at  any  time  cared  for 
study,  or  even  for  reading,  Dolly  Madison 
was  eminently  a  talented  woman,  full  of  a 
most  delicate  tact,  and  so  warm-hearted 
and  amiable  that  even  her  early  Quaker 
friends  were  induced  to  condone  what 
they  feared  was  "  an  undue  fondness  for 
the  things  of  this  world."  Thirty-seven 
years  of  age,  still  very  young  in  appear- 


72  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

ance  and  feelings,  she  dressed  handsomely 
and  "in  the  mode,"  clinging  for  a  time  to 
the  pretty  little  Quaker  cap,  but  discarding 
that  even,  when  she  went  into  the  White 
House,  as  unsuitable  to  her  surroundings. 
She  was  ambitious  in  that  she  endeavored 
to  make  her  husband's  administration  a 
•brilliant  and  successful  one.  With  all  her 
appreciation  of  admiration  she  was  not 
extravagant,  though  hospitable  to  a  de- 
gree which  was  rarely  seen  out  of  Vir- 
ginia. She  delighted  in  company,  and  her 
table  fairly  "  groaned,"  as  the  saying  is, 
with  the  abundance  of  its  dishes.  The 
serious,  thoughtful  Madison,  physically 
weak,  and  harassed  and  worried  by  the 
many  cares  crowding  upon  him  at  this 
time,  often  said  that  a  visit  to  his  wife  in 
her  sitting-room,  where  he  was  sure  of  a 
bright  story  and  a  good  laugh,  was  as  re- 
freshing as  a  long  walk.  And  it  was  for 
this  end,  to  cheer  and  amuse  her  husband, 
that  she  kept  a  pleasant  party  of  friends 
constantly  with  her,  making  them  feel  that 
-her  home  was  theirs  in  the  warmth  of  her 
hospitality.  An  early  riser,  she  superin- 
tended all  the  domestic  arrangements  be- 
fore breakfast,  and  while  her  guests  were 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  73 

Still  sleeping.  The  servants,  many  of 
whom  were  slaves,  identified  themselves 
entirely  with  the  family,  vying  with  each 
other  in  waiting  on  ''Miss  Dolly;"  and  at 
Montpelier,  wherever  the  click  of  her  high- 
heeled  shoes  was  to  be  heard,  a  train  of 
small  negroes  was  sure  to  be  seen  waiting 
for  the  "  sweety,"  accompanied  by  a  bright 
smile,  which  never  failed  them. 

TO  ANNA. 
Washington,  December  20,  1811. 
My  dearest  Anna,  —  I  received  with 
joy  your  letter  last  evening,  which,  being 
longer  than  usual,- raised  my  spirits,  which 
have  been  rather  low  in  these  troublous 
times.  No  Constitution  heard  of  yet ;  the 
Hornet  went  to  take  despatches  and  to  let 
them  know  our  determination  to  fight  for 
our  rights.  I  wrote  by  the  Hornet  to  Mrs. 
Barlow,  and  begged  her  to  send  me  any- 
thing she  thought  suitable  in  the  way  of 
millinery.  I  fear  I  cannot  obtain  a  new- 
fashioned  pattern  for  you,  but  will  make 
you  a  cap  such  as  is  much  worn.  The  in- 
trigues for  President  and  Vice  -  President 
go  on,  but  I  think  it  may  terminate  as  the 
last   did.     The    Clintons,    Smiths,    Arm- 


74  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

Strongs,  et  cetera,  are  all  in  the  field,  and  I 
believe  there  will  be  war.  Mr.  Madison 
sees  no  end  to  the  perplexities  without  it, 
and  they  seem  to  be  going  on  with  the 
preparations.  General  Dearborn,  you  know, 
is  nominated  to  command.  Congress  talks 
of  adjourning  for  two  months,  but  I  be- 
lieve it  is  merely  a  threatening,  and  they 
will  sit  until  June.  Before  then  I  trust 
you  will  be  able  to  come  on,  as  the  roads 
become  passable  by  April. 

Devotedly  your  sister, 

Dolly  Madison. 

A  few  extracts  from  the  letters  passing 
between  Mrs.  Madison  and  her  sister  dur- 
ing the  next  year,  when  matters  were  ap- 
proaching a  crisis  between  the  United 
States  and  Great  Britain,  give  a  little  in- 
sight into  her  thought  and  feelings.  Mr. 
Madison  too  kept  up  a  most  regular  cor- 
respondence with  his  brother-in-law,  who 
was  obliged  to  spend  that  winter  in  Maine, 
owing  to  an  accident  to  his  shoulder,  ren- 
dering the  interminable  carriage  drive  to 
Washington  impossible. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  75 

TO    HON.    RICHARD    CUTTS. 

Washington,  February  25,  181 2. 
My  dear  Cutts,  —  I  inclose  for  your 
amusement  a  few  papers  of  the  latest  date. 
You  will  see  that  the  Constitution  has  re- 
turned from  France,  and  that  an  arrival 
from  Great  Britain  has  brought  the  speech 
opening  the  British  Parliament.  The  lat- 
ter decides  nothing  as  to  a  change  of  the 
Cabinet,  or  repeal  of  the  Orders  in  Council. 
Its  tone  on  the  whole  is  not  arrogant.  It 
is  silent  as  to  Russia  and  to  Ireland,  and  as 
to  trade  and  revenue.  Distress  may  pos- 
sibly supply  motives,  which  ought  to  be 
found  in  wisdom  and  justice,  but  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  our  National  Councils  will  rely 
less  on  either  than  on  our  measures.  We 
learn  from  France  that  Barlow  is  engaged 
in  discussions  which  encourage  his  hope  of 
doing  something  valuable.  The  return  of 
the  Hornet  will  enable  us  to  form  a  more 
decided  judgment.  The  repeal  of  the  de- 
crees of  B.  A.  M.  is  a  fact  nowise  in 
question  there,  though  still  a  topic  of  ma- 
lignant cavil  here.  A  very  large  batch  of 
the  nominations  for  the  army  of  25,000 
went  in  to  the  Senate  to-day,  and  it  will 


76  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

soon  be  followed  by  others.  General  Dear- 
born is  with  us  and  lends  a  helping  hand. 
We  are  well,  and  offer  affectionate  saluta- 
tions to  Anna  and  yourself.  We  hope  to 
see  you  all  in  the  spring,  and  that  you  will 
pass  the  interim  with  us  at  Montpeher. 
Yours,  James  Madison. 

TO   ANNA. 
Washington,  March  20,  181 2. 

Before  this  reaches  you,  my  beloved  sis- 
ter, Lucy  will  be  married  to  Judge  Todd, 
of  Kentucky.  You  are,  I  know,  prepared 
for  it,  and  reconciled  to  her  choice  of  a 
man  of  the  most  estimable  character. 
Their  home  is  now  to  be  in  Lexington, 
very  near  our  old  friend,  General  Taylor, 
but  as  a  Supreme  Judge  he  is  obliged  to 
come  here  for  two  months  every  winter, 
and  binds  himself  to  bring  her  to  her 
friends  when  she  pleases  to  come.  You 
may  imagine  my  grief  is  not  slight  at  the 
parting,  and  Lucy  too  is  in  deep  distress. 
.  .  .  All  are  busy  electioneering  yet. 

The  Federalists  affronted  to  a  man. 
Not  one  of  the  two  houses  of  Congress 
will  enter  Madison's  door  since  the  com- 
munications of  Henry  except  Livingston, 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  77 

who  considers  himself  attached  by  his  ap- 
pointment. 

General  Dearborn  has  had  a  fall,  which, 
though  not  serious,  confines  him  to  the 
house.  .  .  . 

March  27,  18 12. 
The  Vice-President  Hes  dangerously  ill, 
and  electioneering  for  his  office  goes  on  be- 
yond description  —  the  world  seems  to  be 
running  mad,  what  with  one  thing  or  an- 
other. The  Federalists,  as  I  told  you,  were 
all  affi'onted  with  Madison,  —  refused  to 
dine  with  him,  or  even  come  to  the  house. 
But  they  have  changed.  Last  night  and 
the  night  before,  our  rooms  were  crowded 
with  Republicans,  and  such  a  rallying  of 
our  party  has  alarmed  them  into  a  return. 
They  came  in  a  large  body  last  night  also, 
and  are  continuing  calling ;  even  D.  B.  W. 
(who  is  a  fine  fellow)  came  last  night. 
The  old  and  the  young  turned  out  to- 
gether. The  war  business  goes  on  slowly, 
but  I  fear  it  will  be  sure.  Where  are  your 
husband's  vessels  t  and  why  does  he  not 
get  them  in  }  Congress  will  be  here  until 
May,  and  perhaps  longer. 


yS  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

TO   ANNA. 

Washington,  1812. 
I  wrote  you  that  the  Embargo  would 
take  place  three  or  four  days  before  it  did, 
dear  Anna.  General  Dearborn  will  leave 
this  in  a  few  days.  I  went  to  Mrs.  Eustis's 
last  Sunday  evening  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M. 
—  only  two  or  three  ladies  present.  Fos- 
ter, Serurier,  General  Dearborn,  Mr,  Brent, 
and  one  or  two  other  men,  but  dull.  Mrs. 
Hamilton  and  Mrs.  Eustis  have  had  par- 
ties —  no  one  else.  Congress  will  not  ad- 
journ, I  believe,  though  it  has  been  much 
spoken  of  ;  the  intention  is  on  the  decline 
now,  from  an  idea  that  it  will  make  a  bad 
impression,  both  in  and  out  of  our  country. 
So  now,  my  dear  sister,  it  seems  May  will 
smile  on  your  journey  to  us  ;  tell  me  when 
and  how  you  begin  it.  I  received  a  letter 
by  ship  from  Mrs.  Barlow,  which  I  will 
send  you.  She  says  the  Hornet  will  sail 
in  a  few  days,  and  will  bring  us  a  treaty  of 
commerce,  et  cetera.  Every  prospect  is 
fair  in  that  quarter. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  79 

Washington,  May  12,  181 2. 

My  dear  Anna,  —  John  Randolph  has 
been  firing  away  at  the  "House"  this 
morning  against  the  declaration  of  war, 
but  we  think  it  will  have  little  effect  I 
told  you  of  the  Hornet  and  all  the  news  it 
brought.  We  have  nothing  among  our- 
selves worth  repeating.  Lucy  writes  often 
and  is  still  delighted  with  Kentucky  ;  our 
friends  in  Virginia  are  all  well.  My  dear 
husband  is  overpowered  with  business,  but 
is  in  good  health.  We  had  all  the  heads 
of  departments  here  yesterday  to  dinner, 
with  their  wives. 

I  will  write  you,  dear  Anna,  every  day 
that  I  can  take  up  my  pen,  and  am  already 
prepared  with  a  room,  and  every  sisterly 
attention  for  your  husband ;  he  will  be 
here,  I  hope,  in  time  to  give  his  vote  for 
war.  However,  I  may  be  mistaken,  and 
that  dreaded  epoch  may  be  some  distance 
off. 

Payne  is  in  Baltimore  yet,  and  as  much 
admired  and  respected  as  you  could  wish. 
He  writes  me  that  Mrs.  Patterson  and 
Mrs.  Bonaparte  are  very  kind  to  himi,  and 
he  is  invited  out  all  the  time.     We  intend 


80  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

to  send  him  in  a  few  months  to  Princeton. 
Kiss  the  sweet  giris  and  boys  for  me,  and 
sleep  in  peace,  my  dear  sister  ;  Heaven  will 
preserve  you  and  yours  as  you  trust  in  its 
great  power.  Ever  your  own 

Dolly. 

Lucy  Payne,  v^^ho  had  married  George 
Steptoe  Washington  at  the  early  age  of 
fifteen,  was  left  a  widow  about  the  time 
Mr.  Madison  entered  the  White  House, 
and  lived  there  with  them  for  several 
years  ;  she  then  married  Judge  Todd,  of 
Kentucky,  a  widower,  with  five  children, 
and  a  man  much  respected  by  his  brother 
justices  of  the  Supreme  Court.  She  is  de- 
scribed by  Washington  Irving,  after  a  visit 
to  one  of  Mrs.  Madison's  drawing-rooms, 
as  bright  and  handsome,  ^'  reminding  me 
of  the  merry  wives  of  Windsor."  "How 
wise  Lucy  is,"  she  writes,  "  to  choose  him, 
in  preference  to  the  gay  ones  who  courted 
her.  Yes,  my  regrets  are  all  selfish :  only 
for  myself,  not  for  her.  She  will,  I  hope, 
be  here  every  winter  for  three  months. 
Mr.  Madison  thinks  that  ere  long  the 
seven  Supreme  Judges  may  be  obliged  to 
live  at  or  near  the  seat  of  government." 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  8 1 

TO  MR.  AND  MRS.  JOEL  BARLOW. 

Washington,  November  15,  181 1. 
Ever  dear  and  valued  Friends,  — 
Your  notes  giving  us  an  account  of  your 
progress  on  the  water  were  grateful,  in- 
deed, but  the  news  of  your  safe  arrival  in 
France  infinitely  more  so.  Many,  many 
are  the  questions  that  rise  to  my  lips. 
How  did  you  bear  the  voyage }  How  is 
dear  Clara,  Mr.  Barlow,  et  cetera  ?  I  hope 
soon  to  know  these  things,  which  I  con- 
fess interest  me  more  than  the  success  of 
your  mission,  of  which  few  have  a  doubt. 
Even  the  enemies  of  our  Minister  admit 
his  talents  and  virtue  ;  how  then  can  any 
one  doubt }  We  passed  two  months  on  our 
mountain  in  health  and  peace,  returning 
the  first  of  October  to  a  sick  and  afflicted 
city.  The  unfinished  canal  caused  a  bil- 
ious fever  to  prevail  through  all  its 
streets ;  many  died,  and  Congress  con- 
vened in  dread  of  contagion.  Happily  all 
fear  is  now  over,  and  public  business  en- 
grosses them  very  thoroughly.  John  Ran- 
dolph is  the  only  one  as  yet  who  seems 
hostile  to  a  quiet  "  House."  They  have 
before  them  the  nomination  of  Colonel  M. 
6 


82  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

and  some  lesser  appointments,  and  I  be- 
lieve are  in  a  disposition  to  do  as  they  are 
advised. 

The  French  Minister,  Mr,  Serurier,  is 
still  delighted  with  Kalorama,  and  takes 
much  pleasure  in  beautifying  the  grounds. 
Mrs.  Baldwin  was  well  and  cheerful  when 
I  saw  her  some  days  since  ;  she  no  doubt 
is  writing  you  volumes,  and  keeps  you 
posted  as  to  the  health  of  your  little  dog. 
Mr.  Madison  is  writing  also,  and  will  tell 
you  that  he  has  settled  the  business  of  the 
Chesapeake  with  Mr.  Foster.  I  have  not 
yet  begun  the  journal  I  promised,  having 
nothing  worth  relating.  Mr.  Barlow  knows 
the  disposition  of  our  world  better  than  I 
do,  and  from  what  I  learn,  good  sense  and 
principle  will  prevail  over  intrigue  and 
vanity.  You  will  see  that  Calvin  declares 
himself  the  author  of  the  boasted  letters : 
some  think  this  a  finishing  stroke,  but  I 
absolutely  pity  the  man,  —  ''  fallen  from 
his  high  estate."  We  have  new  members 
in  abundance,  with  their  wives  and  daugh- 
ters ;  and  I  have  never  felt  the  entertain- 
ment of  company  oppressive  until  now. 
How  I  wish  I  were  in  France  with  you  for 
a  little  relaxation.    As  you,  my  dear  friends. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  83 

have  everything  and  we  nothing  that  is 
beautiful,  I  will  ask  the  favor  of  you  to 
send  me  by  a  safe  vessel  large  head- 
dresses, a  few  flowers,  feathers,  gloves,  and 
stockings,  black  and  white,  with  anything 
else  pretty,  and  suitable  for  an  economist, 
and  let  me  know  the  amount.  We  have  a 
house  full  of  company,  and  I  must  con- 
clude with  love  and  prayers  for  you  all,  my 
best  friends.  Affectionately, 

Dolly  Madison. 

She  must  have  had  enemies,  as  all  per- 
sons of  strong  individuality  are  sure  to 
have ;  her  high-bred  air  and  refinement, 
which  she  could  not  help,  would  hardly 
commend  her  to  the  average  citizen,  in  an 
order  of  things  in  which  mediocrity  was  at 
a  premium,  and  her  gracious  presence, 
which  rarely  comes  without  family  antece- 
dents to  account  for  it,  "  is  not  always 
agreeable,"  as  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 
says,  *'  to  the  many,  whose  two  ideals  are 
the  man  on  horseback,  and  the  man  in  his 
shirt  -  sleeves."  Her  inordinate  love  of 
pleasing,  of  making  every  one  happy  about 
her,  was  called  insincerity,  and  even 
"toadyism,"  by  those  who  did  not   know 


84  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

the  absolute  pain  given  to  the  loving,  faith- 
ful heart  by  an  unkind  word,  or  censure  of 
herself,  or  the  dearly  loved  friends,  whose 
troubles  were  all  taken  upon  her  sympa- 
thetic shoulders.  Having  a  great  dislike 
to  hot  argument,  or  contention  of  any  kind 
that  might  wound  the  feelings  of  others, 
she  would  quietly  leave  the  room  for  a  few- 
moments,  returning  to  find  the  hint  taken, 
and  peace  restored.  "  I  would  rather  fight 
with  my  hands  than  my  tongue,"  she  used 
to  say,  and  indeed  an  atmosphere  of  sun- 
shine followed  her,  even  in  the  dark  days 
during  the  war,  when  the  waters  of  polit- 
ical and  social  life  were  turbid  indeed,  with 
but  dim  hope  of  clearing.  Her  own  pos- 
sessions, gowns,  and  the  like,  were  at 
every  one's  disposal.  "How  can  you  think 
I  would,  or  could,  wear  my  pretty  things, 
unless  you  partook,"  she  writes  to  her  sis- 
ter Anna,  who  had  evidently  written  full 
of  the  cares  and  responsibilities  of  a  large 
family  of  children.  "  Do  not  give  way  to 
sad  thoughts,  but  remember  we  have  a 
goodly  prospect  before  us  of  enjoying  to- 
gether the  blessings  an  approving  Provi- 
dence has  already  bestowed  upon  us." 
She   was   devoted    to   children,    and    kept 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  8$ 

them  constantly  about  her,  replacing  worn 
or  soiled  pinafores  by  taking  them  into 
her  store-room :  *'  Come,  sweet  one,  and 
let  us  be  tidied  up,"  she  would  say ;  and 
there,  with  her  great  shears,  a  garment 
would  quickly  be  cut  out,  and  given  to  one 
of  her  women  to  make  up.  In  the  same 
way,  if  she  thought  a  dress  or  ornament  of 
hers  could  be  of  use  to  a  friend,  it  was 
proffered  in  such  a  delicate  manner  that 
no  feeling  but  gratitude  could  be  pro- 
duced. 

Mr.  Joel  Barlow,  a  distinguished  poli- 
tician, and  also  something  of  a  poet  and 
philosopher,  was  sent  by  Mr.  Madison  as 
Minister  to  France,  to  negotiate  a  treaty 
of  commerce  with  Napoleon,  which,  after 
many  efforts  failed  signally.  In  1812  he 
was  invited  by  the  Due  de  Bassano  to  a 
personal  conference  with  the  Emperor  in 
Poland,  and  hurrying  thither  in  stormy 
weather,  was  seized  with  inflammation  of 
the  lungs  and  died  before  reaching  the 
"  rendezvous."  Mrs.  Madison  considered 
him  one  of  her  warmest  friends,  and  the 
correspondence  between  Mrs.  Barlow  and 
herself  seems  of  the  most  unrestrained 
and  affectionate  character.     I  will  add  one 


S6  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

more  letter  of  hers  to  these  dear  friends, 
who  had  begged  her  to  keep  a  sort  of 
journal,  descriptive  of  everything  that  took 
place  in  her  life. 

TO    MR.    AND    MRS.    JOEL    BARLOW. 

Washington,  i8ii. 
This  unexpected  opportunity  and  short 
notice,  my  beloved  friends,  scarce  gives 
me  time  to  embrace  you  round  ;  still  I  do 
it  with  my  whole  heart.  I  have  received 
all  your  most  welcome  letters  —  Mr.  Bar- 
low's and  Mr.  Lee's,  by  the  Constitution, 
with  one,  too,  from  Mr.  Warden  —  all  of 
which  I  should  like  to  answer  now,  were 
it  not  that  the  despatches  go  in  one  hour, 
and  I  can  only  return  to  each  individual 
my  love  and  best  thanks  for  their  goodness 
and  friendship.  Before  this,  you  know  of 
our  Embargo,  —  to  be  followed  by  War  !  ! 
Yes,  that  terrible  event  is  at  hand,  I  fear ; 
our  appointments  for  the  purpose  are 
mostly  made,  and  the  recruiting  business 
goes  on  with  alacrity.  The  major-gener- 
als are  Henry  Dearborn,  Thomas  Pinck- 
ney,  Joseph  Bloomfield,  J.  Winchester, 
Wm.  Polk,  Wm.  Hull,  et  cetera.  You  will 
have  an  account  of  our  political  situation 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  ^j 

in  all  its  shades  by  this  vessel.     We  antic- 
ipate  some   little   contention    among  our- 
selves on  the  death  of  the  Vice-President, 
whose  physicians  give  out  that  he  cannot 
live  until  morning.     The  sentiment  is  in 
favor  of  John   Langdon  as  his  successor. 
Congress  will  remain  in  session,  perhaps, 
until  July ;  if  not,   full  power  to  declare 
war  will  be  vested  in  the  President. 
^  Your  letters  by  the  Neptune  were  par- 
ticularly acceptable,  as  we  had  been  wor- 
ried   by  a  report    that    the   Emperor  had 
seized  the  Hornet,  and  as  I  promised  to 
write  you  everything,  personal  or  imper- 
sonal, you  will  pardon    me  if  I   say  aught 
that  gives  you  pain,  in  preparing  you  for 
the  disappointment  expressed  at  Mr.  Bar- 
low's having  told  the  state  of  his  negotia- 
tions to  Mr.  Granger,  who  directly  gave  it 
circulation,  and  a  place  in  the  newspapers. 
The  objection  to  this  communication  is — 
"  that  you   may  yet  be  disappointed  ;   the 
anticipations  of  such  a  treaty  might  cause 
improper  speculations  ;  "  ''  that  Mr.  G.  was 
not  a  proper  channel,"  and  much  of  the 
same  kind.      All  this  is  from  the  people, 
not  from  the  Cabinet,  yet  you  know  every- 
thing vibrates  there. 


88  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

Tell  Mr.  Lee  that  I  shall  be  ever  grate- 
ful for  the  fatigue  and  trouble  he  must 
have  experienced  for  my  sake,  in  procur- 
ing the  valuable  collection  he  sent  me  ; 
the  bill  was  immediately  paid,  but  he  will 
be  astonished  at  the  amount  of  duties  — 
two  thousand  dollars.  I  fear  I  shall  never 
have  money  enough  to  send  again.  All 
the  articles  are  beautiful  ;  the  heads  I 
could  not  get  on,  being  a  little  tight,  so  I 
shall  lay  them  aside  until  next  winter, 
when  I  can  have  them  enlarged  to  fit. 
The  flowers,  trimmings,  and  ornaments 
were  enchanting.  I  wish  I  could  gratify 
you,  my  dear  friend,  in  the  matter  of  the 
portraits  you  so  kindly  wish  of  us  ;  but  I 
see  little  prospect  at  present  of  accomplish- 
ing it.  Stuart  is  far  from  us,  and  we 
have  no  painter  of  skill  in  this  place  ;  be 
assured,  if  an  opportunity  occurs,  I  will  do 
my  best  to  send  you  what  you  wish.  My 
sister  Lucy  has  gone,  and  Anna  not  yet 
come  ;  you  may  imagine  me  the  very 
shadow  of  my  husband.  Do  write  me 
continually  of  your  dear  selves,  and  what 
you  are  doing  ;  you  cannot  image  the  im- 
patience felt  when  you  are  silent. 
Your  ever  affectionate 

Dolly  Madison. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  89 

Mr.  Edward  Coles,  of  Albemarle,  filled 
the  office  of  private  secretary  to  Mr.  Mad- 
ison for  six  years,  leaving  him  only  to 
carry  out  a  long-cherished  plan  of  going 
west  to  Illinois,  of  which  State  he  after- 
wards became  governor.  He  was  a  cousin, 
and  much-esteemed  friend,  as  the  following 
letters  show, 

TO    MR.    EDWARD    COLES. 

Washington,  May  12,  18 13. 
Your  letter  caused  me  great  affliction, 
my  dear  cousin  ;  the  continuation  of  your 
illness,  and  Payne's  reluctance  at  leaving 
America,  left  me  without  fortitude  to 
write,  until  now  that  a  letter  has  come 
from  my  son  on  ship-board,  in  which  he 
expresses  satisfaction  at  all  around  him. 
He  had  seen  Mr.  Swertchkoff,  who  assured 
him  you  would  soon  be  well  in  spite  of 
yourself.  We  indulge  this  pleasing  hope 
in  addition  to  that  of  your  remaining  with 
us,  to  the  last.  Not  that  I  would  for  the 
world  retard  any  plan  for  your  prosperity ; 
but  that  I  flatter  myself  the  western 
country  may  be  given  up  for  something 
more  consonant  with  your  happiness,  and 
that   of    your   connections,   among    them 


90  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

there  are  none  who  feel  a  more  affection- 
ate interest  in  you  than  Mr.  Madison  and 
myself.  I  hope  you  will  believe  that  such 
is  our  regard  and  esteem  for  you  that  we 
should  consider  your  leaving  us  a  misfor- 
tune. Mr.  Madison  can  do  very  well  with- 
out a  secretary  until  your  health  is  rees- 
tabhshed.  The  winter  is  not  a  season  for 
emigration,  so  that  next  summer  you  will 
be  better  able  to  make  your  election  —  to 
go,  or  not  to  go. 

And  now  if  I  could  I  would  describe  to 
you  the  fears  and  alarms  that  circulate 
around  me.  For  the  last  week  all  the  city 
and  Georgetown  (except  the  Cabinet)  have 
expected  a  visit  from  the  enemy,  and  were 
not  lacking  in  their  expressions  of  terror 
and  reproach.  Yesterday  an  express  an- 
nounced the  pause  of  a  frigate  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Potomac.  The  commander 
sent  his  boats  to  examine  a  Swedish  ship 
that  lay  near,  but  our  informer  was  too 
frightened  to  wait  for  further  news.  We 
are  making  considerable  efforts  for  defense. 
The  fort  is  being  repaired,  and  five  hundred 
militia,  with  perhaps  as  many  regulars,  are 
to  be  stationed  on  the  Green,  near  the 
Windmill,  or  rather  Major  Taylor's.     The 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  91 

twenty  tents  already  look  well  in  my  eyes, 
who  have  always  been  an  advocate  for 
fighting  when  assailed,  though  a  Quaker. 
I  therefore  keep  the  old  Tunisian  sabre 
within  reach.  One  of  our  generals  has 
discovered  a  plan  of  the  British,  —  it  is  to 
land  as  many  chosen  rogues  as  they  can 
about  fourteen  miles  below  Alexandria,  in 
the  night,  so  that  they  may  be  on  hand  to 
burn  the  President's  house  and  offices.  I 
do  not  tremble  at  this,  but  feel  hurt  that 
the  admiral  (of  Havre  de  Grace  memory) 
should  send  me  word  that  he  would  make 
his  bow  at  my  drawing-room  very  soon. 
Mrs.  Buonaparte  and  Miss  Stevenson  re-  ♦ 
turned  to  their  house  four  days  ago  to 
secure  their  wardrobe,  but  I  question 
whether  they  leave  us  again,  as  strangers 
and  members  are  crowding  in.  Mr.  Mon- 
roe and  family  dined  with  us  yesterday  in 
a  large  party  given  to  Mr.  Jones.  Mr. 
Hay  is  with  them,  having  come  to  escort 
Mrs.  Monroe  to  Richmond  on  a  visit  of 
three  weeks  to  her  two  daughters.  Cousin 
Sally  is  still  in  South  Carolina,  and  Miss 
Mayo  is  as  gay  as  ever.  Anna  has  not 
been  very  well  of  late,  and  her  children 
are  ill  with  measles,  so  that  I  confine  my- 
self very  much  with  them. 


92  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

Be  careful  of  yourself,  dear  cousin,  and 
return  as  soon  as  you  can  to  your  anxious 
friends.  Dolly  Madison. 

Washington,  June  lo,  1813. 
Mr.  Madison  has  received  your  letter, 
my  dear  cousin,  and  desires  me  to  answer 
**as  I  please"  the  subject  of  his  picture; 
when  I  will  take  advantage  of  the  occa- 
sion to  express  my  great  sorrow  at  the 
cause  of  your  detention,  and  my  hope  that 
you  will  exert  great  fortitude,  knowing  that 
a  cheerful  spirit  will  aid  your  recovery. 
By  the  Ida  I  received  a  letter  from  dear 
Payne.  He  is  charmed  with  his  voyage  so 
far,  and  had  escaped  sea-sickness,  though 
all  the  party  had  succumbed.  You  will 
pity  me,  I  know,  when  you  hear  that 
Mitchell  has  left  us  for  France,  that  I  am 
acting  in  his  department,  and  that  the  city 
is  so  full  of  strangers  I  am  positively 
dizzy.  There  is  so  much  to  say  to  you 
and  so  little  time.  About  the  picture,  if 
Mr.  D.  will  return  it  safe  in  six  months, 
more  or  less,  he  may  send  for  it  as  soon  as 
ever  he  chooses.  Present  me  to  Dr.  Phys- 
ic, and  pray  tell  P.  Morris  that  I  love  her 
as  much  as  ever.  Yours  in  friendship, 
Dolly  P.  Madison. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  93 

July  2,  181 3. 
I  have  the  happiness  to  assure  you,  my 
dear  cousin,  that  Mr.  Madison  recovers ; 
for  the  last  three  weeks  his  fever  has  been 
so  slight  as  to  permit  him  to  take  bark 
every  hour  and  with  good  effect.  It  is 
three  weeks  now  I  have  nursed  him,  night 
and  day,  —  sometimes  with  despair  !  but 
now  that  I  see  he  will  get  well  I  feel  as  if 
I  might  die  myself  from  fatigue.  Adieu  ! 
Ever  yours,  D.  P.  Madison. 


TO    GOVERNOR    COLES,    ILLINOIS. 

MONTPELIER,  Septeinber  5,  1819. 

I  am  afraid,  dear  cousin,  that  while  you 
and  I  deliberate  who  to  choose  for  a  wife, 
we  shall  lose  some  of  the  finest  girls  now 
grown.  For  instance,  it  is  reported  that 
Ellen  Randolph  is  to  be  married  to  Gen- 
eral Cooke,  and  Virginia  to  William  Bur- 
well.  Our  niece  Eliza  was  married  to  Mr. 
Willis  in  May,  and  his  sister  is  to  be  bound 
to  her  brother  on  the  i6th  of  this  month  ; 
still  I  have  hopes  for  you,  that  your  future 
one  may  become  manifest  to  reward  your 
merits  and  long  search. 

We  have  been  expecting  a  visit  from  my 


94  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

beloved  Sally,  until  within  tl»e  last  few 
days,  when  I  was  informed  she  had  gone  to 
the  Virginia  Springs.  Payne  still  says  he 
will  write  to  you.  I  suspect  he  begins  to 
feel  with  you  that  a  good  wife  would  add 
to  his  happiness.  I  am  sadly  disappointed 
at  not  having  my  dear  Lucy  with  me  next 
winter ;  the  Judge  has  persuaded  her  to 
remain  in  Frankfort  until  they  can  remove 
altogether,  which  the  change  in  the  judi- 
ciary will  soon  authorize  him  to  do.  We 
have  now  with  us  a  visitor  from  Washing- 
ton, the  curious  Captain  O'Brion  ;  he  tells 
us  a  medley  of  news,  blended  with  sea- 
phrases,  which,  to  appreciate,  you  must 
hear.  The  President  passed  a  day  with  us 
on  his  return  to  the  city,  and  looked  much 
better  than  was  expected  after  his  fatigues. 
Mr.  Madison  has  gone  with  him  to  Loudon. 
I  must  not  expect  to  amuse  you,  only  in 
truth  can  assure  you  of  our  affectionate 
interest  and  friendship,  hoping  to  see  you 
soon  amongst  us. 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  95 


CHAPTER  ^I. 

The  first  three  years  of  Mrs.  Madison's 
life  in  the  White  House  were  passed  in 
unclouded  peace  and  happiness;  a  pros- 
perity, however,  which  was  doomed.  In- 
satiate warriors  already  surrounded  the 
peace-loving,  humane  Madison,  urging  him 
to  take  decisive  steps  against  Great  Brit- 
ain. He  had  no  disposition,  and  but  little 
capacity,  for  war,  and  his  various  messages 
to  Congress  were  marked  as  the  produc- 
tions of  a  ruler  rather  too  cautious  to  suit 
the  fiery  leaders  of  the  Democracy,  who 
supported  the  President's  administration  ; 
and  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  the 
Federalists,  the  war-spirit  fired  the  popular 
heart. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  1812,  an  Act  was 
passed  by  Congress  laying  an  Embargo  for 
ninety  days  on  all  British  vessels  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States.  On 
June  4th  the  President  sent  an  able  and 
conclusive    message  to    Congress,    urging 


96  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

war  as  the  only  means  of  once  more  as- 
serting our  independence.  The  resolution 
passed  both  the  House  and  Senate,  and 
vigorous  preparations  were  made  for  the  im- 
pending confiiSt.  The  i8th  of  June,  1812, 
is  memorable  to  every  one  as  the  begin- 
ning of  that  three  years'  war  whose  fierce- 
ness was  felt  from  Canada  to  New  Orleans. 
It  will  not  be  necessary  to  go  into  the  de- 
tails of  our  brave  fight  with  an  incredibly 
small  navy,  where  personal  heroism  seemed 
to  take  the  place  of  numbers.  From  the 
first  it  became  evident  that  the  war  was 
destined  to  be  a  conflict  on  the  sea-coast 
and  the  ocean,  the  condition  of  both  nations 
being  such  as  to  provoke  this  sort  of  war- 
fare, and  the  many  daring  deeds  are  familiar 
to  us,  both  in  prose  a»d  song.  After  the 
Revolution,  especially  during  the  adminis- 
tration of  Jefferson,  the  military  spirit  was 
discouraged,  and  the  defenses  fell  into  de- 
cay. Upon  a  few  scattered  fortifications 
and  the  terror  inspired  by  Fulton's  torpe- 
does, the  Americans  must  depend  for  the 
defense  of  a  coast-line  reaching  from  Pas- 
samaquoddy  to  the  St.  Mary's.  Great, 
therefore,  was  the  astonishment  of  the 
world  when  the  American  sailors  took  the 


OF  MRS.   MAD  ISO  A^.  gy 

initiative,  and  with  great  alacrity,  and  with- 
out a  tremor,  set  forth  to  smite  the  mis- 
tress of  the  seas.  And  greater  the  admira- 
tion when  a  series  of  brilliant  victories  de- 
clared for  the  flag  of  the  Republic,  and  the 
navy  of  the  United  States  won  a  just  and 
lasting  renown.  At  this  critical  time,  1813, 
Madison  entered  upon  his  second  term  of 
Presidency,  and  the  choice  of  Vice-Presi- 
dent fell  upon  Elbridge  Gerry,  of  Massa- 
chusetts. Mr.  Jefferson,  gazing  out  upon 
the  world  from  his  retirement  at  Monti- 
cello,  writes  again  to  a  friend  (Thomas 
Flournoy)  of  his  great  confidence  in  his 
successor :  — 

"  Servile  inertness  is  not  what  is  wanted 
to  save  our  country.  The  conduct  of  a 
war  requires  the  vigor  and  enterprise  of 
younger  heads,  and  therefore  all  such  un- 
dertakings are  out  of  the  question  with 
me,  and  I  say  so  with  the  greater  satisfac- 
tion, when  I  contemplate  the  person  to 
whom  the  powers  were  handed  over.  You 
probably  may  not  know  Mr.  Madison  per- 
sonally, or  at  least  intimately,  as  I  do.  I 
have  known  him  from  1779,  when  he  first 
came  into  the  pubHc  councils  ;  and  from 
three  and  thirty  years'   trials,   I   can   say 


98  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

conscientiously  that  I  do  not  know  a  man 
in  the  world  of  purer  integrity,  more  dis- 
interested and  devoted  to  genuine  Repub- 
licanism, than  himself,  nor  could  I,  in  the 
whole  scope  of  America  and  Europe,  point 
out  an  abler  head.  He  may  be  illy  sec- 
onded by  others,  betrayed  by  the  Hulls 
and  Arnolds  of  our  country,  for  such  there 
are  everywhere,  we  know  only  too  well. 
But  what  man  can  do  will  be  done  by  Mr. 
Madison.  I  hope,  therefore,  there  will  be 
no  difference  among  Republicans  as  to 
his  reelection,  for  we  shall  only  appreciate 
his  true  value  when  we  have  to  give  him 
up,  and  look  at  large  for  a  successor." 

The  American  army  was  now  organized 
in  three  divisions  :  The  army  of  the  north, 
commanded  by  General  Wade  Hampton, 
to  operate  in  the  country  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain  ;  the  army  of  the  centre,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Commander-in-chief,  to  re- 
sume offensive  movements  on  the  Niagara 
frontier  and  Lake  Ontario  ;  the  army  of 
the  west,  under  command  of  General  Win- 
chester, who  was  soon  superseded  by  Gen- 
eral Harrison.  Many  battles  were  fought 
both  on  land  and  sea,  and  much  blood  and 
treasure  wasted ;  but  the  year  closed  with- 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  99 

out  decisive  results.  Late  in  the  summer 
of  the  year  18 14,  Admiral  Cockburn  ar- 
rived off  the  coast  of  Virginia  with  an  ar- 
mament of  twenty  -  one  vessels.  General 
Ross,  with  an  army  of  four  thousand  vet- 
erans, freed  from  service  in  Europe,  came 
with  the  fleet.  The  American  squadron, 
commanded  by  Commodore  Barney,  was 
unable  to  oppose  so  powerful  a  force,  and 
the  enemy's  flotilla  entered  the  Chesapeake 
with  the  purpose  of  attacking  Washington 
and  Baltimore.  Commodore  Barney  was 
obliged  to  leave  his  ships  and  take  to  the 
shore,  meeting  the  British  troops  with  a 
small  band  of  undisciplined  militia  at  Bla- 
densburg,  where  a  battle  was  fought,  and 
he  himself  taken  prisoner. 

Mrs.  Madison's  course  during  all  this 
time  was  one  of  peace,  her  great  effort 
being  to  destroy,  as  far  as  her  power  lay, 
the  bitter  feeling  between  Federalists  and 
Republicans.  Women,  as  usual,  took  ex- 
aggerated views  of  politics,  and  one  (who 
afterwards  changed  her  politics  and  apolo- 
gized) drove  to  Mrs.  Madison's  door,  and 
standing  up  in  her  carriage,  loosened  her 
beautiful  hair,  which  was  celebrated  for  its 
length,  praying  that  she  might  have  the 


lOO  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

privilege  of  parting  with  it,  for  the  purpose 
of  hanging  Mr.  Madison.  A  week  before 
the  British  entered  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton, Mr.  Monroe,  the  Secretary  of  State, 
mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  to  Benedict,  a 
small  village  on  the  Patuxent,  and  there 
sadly  witnessed  the  landing  of  the  enemy 
on  our  shores.  Knowing  how  unprepared 
was  the  seat  of  government  for  defense,  he 
instantly  ordered  the  public  papers  and 
records  in  his  department  to  be  removed 
and  placed  in  some  safe  spot,  which  was 
accordingly  done  by  Mr.  Pleasanton,  a 
clerk.  A  large  number  of  linen  bags  were 
made,  which,  filled  with  papers,  were  con- 
veyed in  carts  and  wagons  to  Leesburg, 
about  thirty-five  miles  from  Washington, 
and  placed  in  an  empty  house,  just  in  time 
to  see  the  flames  arising  from  the  burning 
of  the  government  buildings.  The  Eng- 
lish used  many  stratagems  to  gain  posses- 
sion of  Mr.  Madison's  papers.  Spies  found 
their  way  into  his  house,  disguised  as  wo- 
men. Anonymous  letters  were  received 
threatening  his  life  with  the  dagger  or  poi- 
son. All  remained  unheeded  until  the 
English  officer,  in  command  of  the  ad- 
vancing troops,  sent  word  to  Mrs.  Madison 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 01 

that   unless  she  should  leave,    the   house 
would  be  burned  over  her  head. 

Generous  British  sentiments  revolted  at 
the  destruction  of  the  American  capital, 
but  it  was  impossible  to  satisfy  warfare,  in 
its  abominable  lust  for  libraries,  buildings, 
objects  of  art,  and  embodiments  of  national 
pride.  The  day  before  the  fall  of  Wash- 
ington was  one  of  extreme  alarm  ;  the  Sec- 
retary of  State  wrote  to  the  President : 
**  The  enemy  has  advanced  six  miles  along 
the  road  to  the  wood-yardj  and  our  troops 
are  retreating.  You  had  better  make  all 
preparations  to  leave."  Then  began  the 
panic,  which  was  doomed  to  grow  more 
intense,  as  hour  after  hour  passed  on. 
Scarcely  had  the  wagons  that  bore  the 
papers  crossed  the  wooden  bridge  over  the 
Potomac,  than  crowds  of  fugitive  women 
and  children  pressed  upon  it,  in  such  num- 
bers as  to  render  the  present  danger  even 
greater  than  the  one  they  were  fleeing  from. 
The  frightened  multitude  swayed  to  and  fro, 
seeking  means  of  escape,  till  night  closed 
in  upon  the  horrible  drama ;  then,  upon 
Capitol  Hill,  appeared  the  red-coated  sol- 
diery of  the  British  army.  The  sun  sank 
peacefully  behind  the  bank  of  fleecy  clouds 


102  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

that  floated  softly  over  the  southern  hori- 
zon, contrasting  with  the  terrible  atmos- 
phere below.  Dust  and  heat  were  intol- 
erable, and  a  rumor  that  the  water  was 
poisoned  rendered  the  sufferings  of  the 
weary  soldiers  painful  in  the  extreme.  For 
the  seventh  time  that  day  a  retreat  was 
commanded,  and  the  city  troops,  mortified 
and  enraged,  refused  at  first  to  obey.  Back 
from  the  city  to  the  heights  of  Georgetown 
was  the  order  ;  to  leave  their  families,  their 
homes,  and  property  behind  them,  march- 
ing away  from  those  they  were  sworn  to 
protect.  Down  the  long,  broad,  solitary 
avenue,  past  the  President's  house,  through 
Georgetown,  and  even  as  far  as  Tennally- 
town,  the  demoralized,  disorganized  rem- 
nant of  the  army  wended  their  weary  way, 
resting  on  the  ground  lighted  up  by  the 
fiery  red  glare  from  the  burning  buildings 
in  Washington.  All  through  that  terrible 
night  they  lay  in  the  fields,  too  frightened 
and  miserable  to  steal  more  than  a  few 
moments'  sleep.  The  bursting  shells  in 
the  navy  yard  were  heard  for  miles,  each 
boom  sounding  a  knell  to  the  agonized 
hearts,  all  ignorant  of  the  fate  of  dear 
friends  during  those  hours  of  horror  and 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  103 

darkness.  When  the  British  marched 
slowly  into  the  deserted  city  by  the  lurid 
light  that  shot  up  from  the  blazing  Capi- 
tol, the  population  had  dwindled  down  to 
a  few  stragglers,  and  the  slaves  of  the 
absent  residents.  The  houses  scattered 
over  a  large  space  were  closed,  and  no  sign 
of  life  visible.  Mr.  Madison  had  crossed 
the  Potomac  early  in  the  afternoon,  and 
his  wife  had  gone  in  another  direction. 
The  bayonets  of  the  British  gleamed  as 
they  filed  down  the  avenue,  and  the  fulmi- 
nations  from  the  navy  yard  saluted  them 
as  they  passed.  Nothing  but  the  prayers 
and  entreaties  of  the  women  and  the  ex- 
postulations of  the  residents  deterred  the 
British  commander.  General  Ross,  from 
blowing  up  the  Capitol ;  he  contented  him- 
self, however,  by  firing  it  at  all  points,  and 
destroying  with  it  many  houses  in  the  vi- 
cinity, among  which  was  one  belonging  to 
General  Washington.  "  I  have,  indeed, 
to  this  hour  [said  Mr.  Bush  in  1855]  the 
vivid  impression  upon  my  eye  of  columns 
of  smoke  and  flame  ascending  all  through 
the  night  of  August  24,  18 14,  from  the 
Capitol,  President's  house,  and  other  pub- 
lic buildings,  as  the  whole  were  on  fire, 


104  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

some  burning  slowly,  others  with  bursts  of 
flames,  and  sparks  mounting  high  in  the 
dark  heavens.  This  can  never  be  forgot- 
ten by  me,  as  I  accompanied  on  that  mem- 
orable night  President  Madison,  Mr.  Jones, 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  General  Mason,  of 
Anacostia  Island,  and  Mr.  Carroll,  of  Belle- 
vue,  across  the  river.  If,  at  intervals,  the 
heart-breaking  sight  was  lost  to  our  view, 
we  found  it  again  from  some  hill-top  or 
eminence,  where  we  would  pause  to  gaze 
at  it."  Among  the  many  stories  which 
greeted  Congress,  when  it  met  near  the 
ruins  some  three  weeks  afterward,  was 
that  Admiral  Cockburn,  in  a  strain  of 
coarse  levity,  mounting  the  Speaker's  chair 
in  the  Capitol,  went  through  the  form  of 
putting  the  question :  "■  Shall  this  harbor 
of  Yankee  democracy  be  burned  1 "  And 
when  the  mock  resolution  was  declared 
unanimous,  it  was  carried  into  effect,  by 
placing  combustibles  under  the  furniture. 
The  temporary  wooden  structure  readily 
ignited  ;  doors,  chairs,  the  library,  and  its 
contents  in  an  upper  room  of  the  senate 
wing,  everything  that  could  burn,  soon  dis- 
appeared in  sheets  of  flame,  illuminating 
the  country  for  thirty  miles  around. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  105 

Through  the  "  eternal  Pennsylvania  Ave- 
nue," the  British  commanders  led  their 
elated  troops,  where,  but  a  few  hours 
before,  the  flying,  scattered  Americans, 
ashamed  and  despairing,  had  wended  their 
sorrowful  way,  the  Capitol  behind  them, 
wrapt  in  its  winding  robe  of  flame.  At  a 
house  near  the  President's  mansion  they 
halted  and  ordered  supper,  which  was 
eaten  by  General  Ross  and  Admiral  Cock- 
burn,  in  the  glare  of  their  own  barbarous 
handiwork.  This  onslaught  was  so  unex- 
pected that  a  dinner-party  had  been  ar- 
ranged by  Mrs.  Madison  for  that  day,  and 
the  following  note  from  Mrs.  Jones,  wife 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  shows  that 
though  surprised  and  alarmed,  they  even 
then  had  no  idea  of  immediate  danger  :  — 

TO  MRS.  MADISON. 
Washington,  Angust  23,  18 14. 
My  dear  Madam,  —  In  the  present 
state  of  alarm  and  bustle  of  preparation 
for  the  worst  that  may  happen,  I  imagine 
it  will  be  more  convenient  to  dispense 
with  the  enjoyment  of  your  hospitaHty  to- 
day, and,  therefore,  pray  you  to  admit  this 
as   an   excuse   for  Mr.   Jones,   Lucy,  and 


I06  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

myself.  Mr.  Jones  is  deeply  engaged  in 
dispatching  the  marines  and  attending  to 
other  public  duties.  Lucy  and  I  are  pack- 
ing, with  the  possibility  of  having  to  leave; 
but  in  the  event  of  necessity  we  know  not 
where  to  go,  nor  have  we  any  means  yet 
prepared  for  the  conveyance  of  our  effects. 
I  sincerely  hope  and  trust  the  necessity 
may  be  avoided,  but  there  appears  rather 
serious  cause  of  apprehension.  Our  car- 
riage horse  is  sick,  and  our  coachman  ab- 
sent, or  I  should  have  called  last  evening 
to  see  your  sister.  I  feel  great  solicitude 
on  her  account.  Yours  very  truly  and  affec- 
tionately, E.  Jones. 

Hoping  and  fearing,  Mrs.  Madison  lin- 
gered on  at  the  President's  house  for  Mr. 
Madison's  return,  until  the  British  officers 
were  actually  at  the  threshold,  and  the 
moment  could  be  no  longer  delayed.  She 
had  secured  the  public  papers  and  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  and  was  being 
hurried  out  to  the  waiting  carriage  by 
Mr.  De  Peyster  and  Mr.  Barker,  when  her 
eye  was  attracted  by  the  valuable  portrait 
of  General  Washington  hanging  on  the 
wall,  this  being  one  of  the  few  adornments 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  lO/ 

of  the  White  House  at  that  time,  and  an 
excellent  likeness  of  the  adored  first  Presi- 
dent. She  felt  she  could  not  leave  it,  and  at 
the  risk  of  capture  herself,  resolved  to  save 
it,  if  possible.  After  much  valuable  time 
spent  in  trying  to  unfasten  the  great  frame 
from  the  wall,  the  servants  were  obliged  to 
break  the  outside  edge  with  an  axe,  keep- 
ing the  entire  canvas,  however,  quite  unin- 
jured ;  this  they  sent  in  a  hack  to  a  woman 
named  Baker,  living  beyond  Georgetown. 
The  portrait  was  painted  partly  by  Gilbert 
Stuart,  and  completed  by  Winstanley,  with 
Colonel  Smith,  the  son-in-law  of  President 
John  Adams,  as  a  model  for  the  unfin- 
ished body  and  limbs.  Half  a  century  later, 
when  the  White  House  was  being  rebuilt, 
this  picture  was  renovated  and  put  back  in 
its  place  on  the  wall,  together  with  many 
others  added  to  the  collection.  "  I  lived  a 
lifetime  in  those  last  moments,"  she  tells 
a  friend  afterwards,  "  waiting  for  Madison's 
return,  and  in  an  agony  of  fear  lest  he 
might  have  been  taken  prisoner  !  Anna, 
too,  was  away,  I  hardly  knew  where." 
Fortunately  her  mind  was  in  a  measure  re- 
lieved by  meeting  Mr.  Madison,  who,  with 
several  friends,  had  come  back  to  see  after 


I08  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

her  safety.  She  insisted  upon  going  with 
him  to  the  Virginia  shore,  and  then,  and 
not  until  then,  did  she  yield  to  the  persua- 
sions of  her  friends,  and  seek  rest  in  the 
house  of  an  acquaintance,  about  two  miles 
beyond  Georgetown.  Sleep,  of  course,  was 
impossible,  and  the  long  night  was  passed 
at  the  window,  gazing  at  the  flames,  which 
looked  as  if  nothing  could  stop  them  in 
their  mad  fury. 

A  letter  written  to  her  sister  the  day 
before  gives  an  insight  into  her  feelings 
at  this  time  of  trial  and  danger. 

TO    ANNA. 

Ttiesday,  August  23,  1814. 
Dear  Sister,  —  My  husband  left  me 
yesterday  morning  to  join  General  "Win- 
der. He  inquired  anxiously  whether  I 
had  courage  or  firmness  to  remain  in  the 
President's  house  until  his  return  on  the 
morrow,  or  succeeding  day,  and  on  my  as- 
surance that  I  had  no  fear  but  for  him, 
and  the  success  of  our  army,  he  left,  be- 
seeching me  to  take  care  of  myself,  and 
of  the  Cabinet  papers,  public  and  private. 
I  have  since  received  two  despatches  from 
him,  written  with   a  pencil.     The   last   is 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  109 

alarming,  because  he  desires  I  should  be 
ready  at  a  moment's  warning  to  enter  my 
carriage,  and  leave  the  city  ;  that  the  en- 
emy seemed  stronger  than  had  at  first 
been  reported,  and  it  might  happen  that 
they  would  reach  the  city  with  the  inten- 
tion of  destroying  it.  I  am  accordingly 
ready ;  I  have  pressed  as  many  Cabinet 
papers  into  trunks  as  to  fill  one  carriage ; 
our  private  property  must  be  sacrificed,  as 
it  is  impossible  to  procure  wagons  for  its 
transportation.  I  am  determined  not  to 
go  myself  until  I  see  Mr.  Madison  safe, 
so  that  he  can  accompany  me,  as  I  hear 
of  much  hostility  towards  him.  Disaffec- 
tion stalks  around  us.  My  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances are  all  gone,  even  Colonel  C. 
with  his  hundred,  who  were  stationed  as  a 
guard  in  this  inclosure.  French  John  (a 
faithful  servant),  with  his  usual  activity  and 
resolution,  offers  to  spike  the  cannon  at 
the  gate,  and  lay  a  train  of  powder,  which 
would  blow  up  the  British,  should  they  en= 
ter  the  house.  To  the  last  proposition  I 
positively  object,  without  being  able  to 
make  him  understand  why  all  advantages 
in  war  may  not  be  taken. 

Wednesday  Morningy  twelve  o'clock.  — 


no  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

Since  sunrise  I  have  been  turning  my 
spy-glass  in  every  direction,  and  watching 
with  unwearied  anxiety,  hoping  to  discover 
the  approach  of  my  dear  husband  and 
his  friends  ;  but,  alas  !  I  can  descry  only 
groups  of  military,  wandering  in  all  direc- 
tions, as  if  there  was  a  lack  of  arms,  or  of 
spirit  to  fight  for  their  own  fireside. 

Three  o'clock.  — Will  you  believe  it,  my 
sister  ?  we  have  had  a  battle,  or  skirmish, 
near  Bladen sburg,  and  here  I  am  still, 
within  sound  of  the  cannon  !  Mr.  Madi- 
son comes  not.  May  God  protect  us ! 
Two  messengers,  covered  with  dust,  come 
to  bid  me  fly  ;  but  here  I  mean  to  wait  for 
him.  ...  At  this  late  hour  a  wagon  has 
been  procured,  and  I  have  had  it  filled  with 
plate  and  the  most  valuable  portable  arti- 
cles, belonging  to  the  house.  Whether  it 
will  reach  its  destination,  the  "  Bank  of 
Maryland,"  or  fall  into  the  hands  of  British 
soldiery,  events  must  determine.  Our  kind 
friend,  Mr.  Carroll,  has  come  to  hasten  my 
departure,  and  in  a  very  bad  humor  with 
me,  because  I  insist  on  waiting  until  the 
large  picture  of  General  Washington  is 
secured,  and  it  requires  to  be  unscrewed 
from    the   wall.     This   process  was  found 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 1 1 

too  tedious  for  these  perilous  moments  ;  I 
have  ordered  the  frame  to  be  broken,  and 
the  canvas  taken  out.  It  is  done  !  and  the 
precious  portrait  placed  in  the  hands  of 
two  gentlemen  of  New  York,  for  safe  keep- 
ing. And  now,  dear  sister,  I  must  leave 
this  house,  or  the  retreating  army  will 
make  me  a  prisoner  in  it  by  filling  up  the 
road  I  am  directed  to  take.  When  I  shall 
again  write  to  you,  or  where  I  shall  be  to- 
morrow, I  cannot  tell !  Dolly, 

•  John  Sioussa,  the  French  porter,  was 
the  last  to  leave  the  house,  and  after  see- 
ing Mrs.  Madison  safely  off,  he  took  a  ma- 
caw, which  had  been  much  petted  by  her, 
to  the  house  of  a  friend,  Colonel  Taylor ; 
then  locking  the  house  carefully,  he  depos- 
ited the  key  with  the  Russian  Minister, 
Mr.  Dashoff,  whose  house  was  protected 
by  his  country's  flag,  and  went  to  Phila- 
delphia. All  the  afternoon,  parties  of 
straggling  soldiers,  on  their  way  to  George- 
town, with  vagrant  negroes  pilfered  in 
many  directions,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of 
faithful  servants.  Mad  with  disappoint- 
ment at  the  escape  of  the  President  and 
his  wife,  "whom  they  wanted  to  capture 


112  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

and  show  in  England,"  the  enemy  broke 
open  the  doors  of  the  White  House,  and 
ransacked  it  from  cellar  to  attic,  finding 
nothing  of  value,  in  the  way  of  trophies, 
except  a  small  bundle  of  pencil  notes  re- 
ceived by  Mrs.  Madison  from  her  hus- 
band when  he  was  with  the  troops,  and 
which  she  had  inadvertently  rolled  to- 
gether, and  left  in  her  table  drawer.  To 
everything  else  in  the  house,  furniture, 
wines,  provisions,  and  family  stores  of  all 
kinds,  which  had  cost  Mr.  Madison  twelve 
thousand  dollars,  together  with  an  excel- 
lent library,  the  torch  was  applied.  Fire 
for  the  purpose  was  procured  at  a  small 
beer -house  opposite  the  Treasury,  and 
common  soldiers,  together  with  negroes, 
and  thieves  of  all  grades,  did  what  they 
could  to  pillage  and  destroy.  The  White 
House  was  not  so  large  and  complete  as  it 
is  now.  The  east  room,  which  had  served 
Mrs.  Adams  for  a  drying-room,  was  bare 
and  unfurnished ;  the  whole  house  was 
plain,  unfinished,  and  totally  destitute  of 
ornament  ;  the  front  vestibule  had  not 
then  been  added,  and  the  grounds  were 
uninclosed,  and  entirely  uncultivated. 
Nothing  but   the   lateness  of   the  hour 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  \  \  3 

and  the  threatening  storm  prevented  the 
troops  from  firing  the  War  Department. 
The  promised  reinforcement  had  failed  to 
come,  filHng  the  minds  of  the  officers  with 
vague  and  timorous  apprehension,  and 
they  resolved  to  evacuate  the  next  day. 
Constant  rumors  and  frights  had  unnerved 
the  stoutest  hearts,  and  the  unhappy  cit- 
izens of  Washington  flying  from  a  foreign 
foe  rendered  the  situation  of  those  who 
could  not  leave  even  more  distressing.  All 
the  vehicles  had  been  pressed  into  the 
service,  and  valuables  scattered  in  every 
direction  for  safety. 

An  English  narrator  states  that  ^'the 
most  tremendous  hurricane  ever  remem- 
bered by  the  inhabitants  broke  over  Wash- 
ington the  day  after  the  conflagration. 
Roofs  of  houses  were  torn  off  and  carried 
up  into  the  air  like  sheets  of  paper,  while 
the  rain  which  accompanied  it  was  like 
the  rushing  of  a  mighty  cataract  rather 
than  the  dropping  of  a  shower.  This 
lasted  for  two  hours  without  intermission, 
during  which  time  many  of  the  houses 
spared  by  us  were  blown  down,  and  thirty 
of  our  men,  with  as  many  more  of  the  in- 
habitants, were  buried  beneath  the  ruins. 


114  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

Two  cannons  standing  upon  a  bit  of  rising 
ground  were  fairly  lifted  in  the  air  and 
carried  several  yards  to  the  rear." 

Long  before  day  Mrs.  Madison  and  her 
sleepless  companions  bade  farewell  to  their 
hospitable  friend  and  started  forth  to  the 
place  appointed  by  Mr.  Madison  for  a 
meeting.  Consternation  and  despair  were 
at  their  height ;  the  whole  region  filled 
with  frightened  people  and  straggling  sol- 
diers, roaming  about  and  spreading  alarms 
that  the  enemy  was  coming  now  this  way, 
now  that,  making  no  place  safe.  As  the 
day  wore  on  the  storm  burst  upon  the 
forlorn  refugees,  as  they  traveled  slowly, 
and  with  great  difficulty,  through  round- 
about lanes  and  roads  to  the  little  tavern 
in  the  middle  of  an  apple  orchard,  sixteen 
miles  from  Washington,  where  Mr.  Madi- 
son had  promised  to  join  them.  Here  the 
drenched,  tired  travelers  were  very  inhos- 
pitably received  ;  the  house  was  crowded 
with  refugees,  who,  frightened  and  miser- 
able, worked  themselves  up  into  a  feeling 
of  anger  and  reproach  against  Mr.  Mad- 
ison and  herself,  declaring  them  to  be  the 
cause  of  their  present  troubles,  and  refus- 
ing them    entrance.     With  evening  came 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  \  \  5 

another  furious  thunder-storm,  and  common 
humanity  made  them  open  the  doors  to 
the  poor  shivering  women,  who  were  afraid 
to  leave  the  neighborhood  for  fear  of  miss- 
ing their  friends.  The  sky  was  as  black 
as  night,  and  the  thunder  and  lightning 
seemed  almost  continuous  :  at  one  time 
striking  a  tree  in  the  woods  near  by,  at 
another  flashing  into  the  dark  little  wait- 
ing-room, lighting  up  the  faces  of  the  awed 
and  panic-stricken  women,  who  had  passed 
through  so  much  in  this  last  twenty-four 
hours.  Slowly  the  hours  dragged  on,  the 
storm  abated,  but  the  anxious  wife  looked 
in  vain  for  her  husband.  Nervous  and  in- 
tensely anxious,  Mrs.  Madison  waited  on 
in  breathless  impatience  for  the  promised 
relief,  too  unhappy  to  feel  the  discomforts 
around  her;  until  late  in  the  night  her 
fears  were  relieved  by  the  approach  of  Mr. 
Madison  with  the  friends  who  had  accom- 
panied him  the  night  before.  He  looked 
careworn  and  weary,  and  after  a  somewhat 
scant  meal  of  such  food  as  had  been  left  in 
the  over-crowded  tavern,  he  yielded  to  his 
wife's  entreaties  and  sought  forgetfulness 
in  sleep. 

During  that  time  General  Ross  hastily 


Il6  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

evacuated  the  town  ;  victors  and  van- 
quished aUke  victims  of  imaginary  perils : 
the  one  superstitiously  fearful  of  the  vio- 
lent, almost  tropical,  storms  to  which  they 
were  unused,  and  credulous  of  vague  re- 
ports of  reinforcements  on  the  other  side  ; 
while  the  American  troops  were  still  too 
scattered  and  frightened  to  distinguish  the 
false  from  the  true  in  the  rumors  of  mur- 
der and  rapine  that  were  flying  in  all  di- 
rections. 

Toward  midnight  a  courier,  breathless 
from  fatigue  and  excitement,  warned  the 
President  that  the  enemy  had  discovered 
a  clue  to  his  hiding-place,  and  were  even 
now  on  their  way  hither.  Yielding  to  the 
entreaties  of  his  wife  and  friends  he  sought 
refuge  in  a  miserable  little  hovel  in  the 
woods,  where  the  boughs  moaned  and 
sobbed  around  him,  and  the  storm  ex- 
pended itself  in  dismal  sighs  through  the 
tall  trees  ;  here  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
the  night,  expecting  at  any  moment  to 
hear  the  tread  of  the  British  soHdiers  as 
they  passed,  or  perhaps  halted  and  searched 
for  the  coveted  prisoner. 

Mrs.  Madison  had  promised  to  disguise 
herself  and  seek  safety  further  on ;  so  at- 


OF  MRS.   MADISON-.  1 17 

tended  only  by  Mr.  Duvall  and  one  soldier 
she  started  out  at  the  first  dawn  of  day, 
leaving  her  carriage  to  her  companions 
and  taking  a  small  wagon.  Before  they 
had  gone  very  far,  however,  the  news 
reached  them  that  Washington  was  evac- 
uated, and  joyfully  retracing  their  steps, 
after  a  weary  ride  they  reached  the  Long 
Bridge,  only  to  find  it  burned  at  both  ends. 
Forgetting  her  disguises  he  appealed  to  an 
officer  standing  by  to  take  her  across  the 
river  in  the  one  remaining  boat,  but  was 
curtly  refused,  not  daring,  as  he  said,  ''  to 
let  an  unknown  woman  into  the  city."  No 
alternative  was  left  but  to  explain  who  she 
was,  and  after  some  doubt  and  demur  on 
his  part  the  frail  little  craft  landed  them 
safely  on  the  other  side.  There  she  found 
her  former  home  in  ruins,  and  the  smoke 
still  rising  from  the  heaps  of  blackened 
timber  that  greeted  her  on  every  side ;  the 
streets  were  as  deserted  and  quiet  as  the 
forests  through  which  she  had  just  passed, 
and  sick  at  heart  she  turned  away,  and  in  a 
strange  carriage  drove  to  the  house  of  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Cutts,  to  await  the  return  of 
Mr.  Madison. 

"  The  memory  of  the  burning  of  Wash- 


Il8  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

ington  cannot  be  obliterated.  It  can  never 
be  thought  of  by  an  American,  and  ought 
not  to  be  thought  of  by  an  enlightened 
Englishman,  except  with  deplorable  shame 
and  mortification.  History  cannot  record 
it  as  a  trophy  of  war  for  a  great  nation. 
The  metropolis  at  that  time  had  the  aspect 
of  a  straggling  village,  interspersed  here 
and  there  by  a  handsome  public  building, 
and  with  a  scattered  population  of  not 
more  than  eight  thousand  inhabitants ; 
fortresses  there  were  none,  and  but  a  few 
mounted  cannon." 

Late  in  the  day,  the  news  reached  the 
President  in  his  hovel  that  the  enemy  had 
retreated  to  their  shipping ;  and  he,  too, 
turned  his  steps  toward  the  city  and  re- 
joined his  wife. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  II9 


CHAPTER  IX. 

From  the  beginning  many  of  the  people 
of  New  England  had  opposed  the  war. 
Their  interests  centred  in  ships  and  fac- 
tories ;  the  former  were  at  sea,  and  the 
latter  came  to  a  stand-still.  Industry  was 
paralyzed,  and  the  members  of  the  Federal 
party  cried  out  against  a  continuance  of 
the  contest.  A  convention  was  called, 
which  assembled  at  Hartford,  and  ruined 
the  Federal  party.  Meanwhile  many  bat- 
tles were  fought  on  sea  and  land,  and  hos- 
tilities lingered  on  until  the  spring  of  18 14. 
American  commissioners  were  sent  to 
Ghent,  in  Belgium,  and  were  there  met  by 
the  British  ambassadors.  The  agents  of 
the  United  States  were  John  Quincy 
Adams,  James  A.  Bayard,  Henry  Clay, 
Jonathan  Russell,  and  Albert  Gallatin. 
Several  months  were  spent  in  negotia- 
tions; and  on  the  24th  of  December,  18 14, 
a  treaty  was  agreed  to  and  signed,  which 
was  received  in  England  with  deep  satis- 


120  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

faction,  and  in  America  with  a  delight 
bordering  on  madness.  Before  the  terms 
of  settlement  could  be  made  known,  the 
people  broke  forth  in  universal  jubilee, 
nobody  stopping  to  inquire  whether  the 
treaty  was  good  or  bad,  honorable  or  dis- 
honorable. Nor  could  the  country  be 
blamed  for  rejoicing  that  a  conflict  which 
had  cost  the  United  States  one  thousand 
six  hundred  and  eighty-three  vessels,  and 
more  than  eighteen  thousand  sailors,  was 
ended.  The  war-cloud  rolled  away  from 
the  public  mind,  and  immediately  the  dock 
yards  were  ringing  with  the  sound  of  saw 
and  hammer.  On  the  i8th  of  February 
the  treaty  was  ratified  by  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States,  and  peace  was  publicly 
proclaimed  ;  not  soon  enough,  however,  to 
prevent  the  terrible  bloodshed  at  the  bat- 
tle of  New  Orleans,  which  occurred  in 
the  interim  between  the  conclusion  of  the 
treaty  and  the  reception  of  the  news  in 
America.  Deeply  in  debt  as  the  country 
was,  her  monetary  affairs  in  a  deplorable 
condition,  and  domestic  commerce  at  a 
stand-still,  one  advantage  had  been  gained 
by  America,  the  recognition  of  her  naval 
power.      It  was   no  longer  doubtful    that 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  121 

American  sailors  were  the  peers  in  valor 
and  patriotism  of  any  seamen  in  the  world. 
It  was  no  small  triumph  for  the  Republic 
that  her  flag  should  henceforth  be  honored 
on  every  ocean.  Political  troubles  having 
become  partially  straightened  out  in  1814, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Madison  retired  to  Mont- 
pelier  for  a  month  or  two  to  recruit,  and 
rest  body  and  mind  after  the  great  excite- 
ment so  recently  undergone.  Here  it  was 
that  two  old  Quaker  ladies,  Rebecca 
Hubbs  and  Sarah  Scull,  members  of  her 
society  in  Philadelphia  in  years  gone  by, 
came  to  pay  a  visit,  not  only  of  affection, 
but  perhaps  with  a  little  curiosity,  to  ascer- 
tain if  the  adulation  and  worldly  life  of  so 
many  years  had  corrupted  the  heart  and 
mind  of  their  much-loved  sister  ;  and  that 
they  were  satisfied  is  shown  from  the  fol- 
lowing letter  from  Rebekah  Hubbs  on  her 
return. 

TO   MRS.    MADISON. 

Seventh  Month,  13,  1814. 

Dear  Friend,  —  Thinking   it   may   be 

acceptable  I  put  pen  to  paper  to  write  thee 

a  few  lines,  in  part  to   inform  thee  of  the 

manner  in  which  we  got  along  and  my  safe 


122  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

return  home.  The  kind  reception  we  met 
with  when  at  thy  dwelling  has  caused  my 
mind  to  be  much  with  thee  and  thine. 
Since  we  parted  from  thee  particularly  so, 
dear  Dorothy,  for  several  days  after,  when 
at  a  clear,  flowing  brook,  with  the  help  of 
thy  kindness,  we  poor  pilgrims  were  re- 
freshed on  the  way,  which  seemed  to  sat- 
isfy as  a  sit  meal  at  a  full  spread  table ;  and 
though  we  were  strangers  in  a  strange 
land,  yet  at  times  were  enabled  to  rejoice 
that  the  Lord  had  counted  us  worthy  to 
suffer  shame  for  his  sake.  We  were  fa- 
vored to  get  along  very  well,  and  arrived 
at  Baltimore  the  day  preceding  the  yearly 
meeting,  where  I  received  a  letter  from 
home,  and  was  informed  that  my  dear 
babe  was  ill  and  by  account  could  not  ex- 
pect to  recover. 

The  next  day  after  this  news  my  beloved 
companion,  Sarah  Scull,  was  taken  sick. 
This  centred  my  mind  in  deep  humihty 
before  the  Lord,  and  thankful  of  my  own 
health,  desirous  that  every  trying  dispensa- 
tion may  be  prosperous  in  their  errand  to 
me,  I  endeavored  to  resign  my  will  to  the 
Divine  will,  and  parting  with  my  companion 
in  good  hands  at  Baltimore,  set    out   for 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  123 

home,  where  through  the  protection  of  Di- 
vine mercy  I  found  my  husband  and  chil- 
dren in  good  health,  and  my  dear  babe  re- 
covered of  her  sickness.  And  now,  my 
dear  friend,  having  visited  thy  dwelling 
much  bowed  down  in  mind  under  a  sense 
of  my  weakness,  having  none  but  the 
Lord  to  appeal  to,  to  justify  me  in  my 
visit,  to  relieve  my  mind  of  much  that  was 
on  it.  Dear  friend,  thou  hast  a  precious 
talent  committed  to  thy  trust  by  the  King 
of  kings,  and  my  soul's  desire  for  thee  is 
that  thou  may  more  and  more  come  out  of 
all  that  cumbers  the  earth,  and  redeem 
thy  soul  from  all  difficulties  that  do  or 
may  attend  it.  My  wishes  for  thee  and 
thine  is  that  thou  may  be  supported  under 
every  exercise  of  mind,  and  witness  the 
living  presence  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  war 
against  vanity,  pleasure,  ambition,  and  ava- 
rice, and  to  put  from  thee  all  the  fading 
pleasures  of  this  world,  but  rather  prize 
the  crown  immortal  that  fadeth  not  away. 
Assuredly,  dear  Dorothy,  I  think  I  shall 
ever  remember  thee  with  gratitude  of 
heart,  thee  and  thy  beloved  companion, 
your  kind  and  Christian  entertainment  of 
us ;  God  will  not  be   wantino:   to   reward 


124  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

your  love.  Desirous  to  be  had  in  remem- 
brance by  thee,  dear  Dorothy,  in  love,  I 
conclude,  and  remain  thy  soul's  best 
wisher,  Rebekah  Hubbs. 

My  love  to  thy  dear,  ancient  mother-in- 
law,  who  I  believe  is  not  far  from  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven.  Sarah  Scull  joins 
in  that  love  which  neither  time  nor  dis- 
tance can  erase. 

A  letter  from  the  postmaster  at  New 
Orleans,  written  on  the  19th  of  January,  to 
Mrs.  Madison,  announces  the  departure  of 
the  British  troops  from  our  shores  at  last. 
He  evidently  was  desirous  of  being  the 
first  to  break  the  joyful  news  to  one  who 
would  sympathize  so  heartily  with  the 
people's  delight. 

New  Orleans,  January  19,  18 15. 
Mrs.  Madison  : 

Madam,  —  I  had  confidently  hoped  from 
the  events  of  the  last  fourteen  days  to  have 
announced  to  you  in  this  letter  the  depar- 
ture from  our  shores  of  the  implacable 
foe,  who,  trusting  to  our  supposed  disun- 
ion and  disaffection,  has  had  the  temerity 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 25 

to  assail  us  at  our  very  thresholds  ;  but 
although  he  still  maintains  a  precarious 
foothold  on  our  soil,  be  assured,  madam, 
he  speedily  must  abandon  it,  covered  with 
disgrace. 

Madam,  the  American  army  in  Louisi- 
ana has  gained  immortal  glory.  It  has 
made  a  defense  against  the  most  valiant 
and  fortunate  troops  of  Europe,  excited  to 
desperation  by  resistance,  and  staking  its 
all  of  reputation  on  the  die,  unsurpassed 
in  the  annals  of  military  warfare,  its  leader 
achieving  in  one  hour  the  object  of  a 
whole  campaign,  — the  preservation  of  the 
state  from  conquest,  and  the  overthrow  of 
its  invaders.  The  8th  of  January  will 
form  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  Re- 
public. It  was  on  the  morning  of  that 
day  the  British,  led  on  by  Mr.  Edward 
Packenham,  attempted  to  storm  our  lines, 
and  to  force  a  way  to  the  city  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet.  Advancing  in  full  confi- 
dence with  this  intent,  and  encouraged  to 
it  by  their  commander,  his  watchword 
''booty  and  beauty,"  they  were  suffered  to 
approach  within  twenty  yards  of  our  bat- 
teries unmolested,  at  which  moment  a  fire 
from  our  guns  and  our  musketry  opened 


126  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

on  them  with  such  irresistible  force,  they 
gave  way  at  all  points,  flying  in  the  ut- 
most confusion,  leaving  the  ground  strewn 
with  their  dead  and  dying. 

You  may  conceive,  madam,  what  a  spec- 
tacle of  carnage  must  have  met  the  eye, 
after  the  battle,  when  you  learn  that  in 
killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  the  loss  of 
the  enemy  exceeded  two  thousand  ;  eight 
hundred  being  left  dead  ;  their  command- 
er-in-chief killed  ;  Cxenerals  Gibbs  and 
Keene  severely  wounded,  and  the  flower 
of  their  army,  the  4th  and  the  21st  regi- 
ments, almost  exterminated.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  river  we  were  momentarily  dis- 
possessed of  a  battery  by  the  enemy  (the 
guns  of  which,  however,  we  had  time  to 
spike),  in  consequence  of  a  part  of  our 
troops  being  seized  with  a  panic,  in  spite 
of  the  better  countenance  maintained  by 
their  comrades  to  the  last,  and  the  exhor- 
tations of  their  officers  not  to  dishonor 
themselves.  But  it  was  attended  with  a 
further  disaster,  Colonel  Thornton  retreat- 
ing  almost   immediately,  badly   wounded. 

12  o'clock.  —  Intelligence  has  at  this  mo- 
ment been  received  from  General  Jackson 
that  the  British  have  evacuated  the  coun- 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  127 

try.  The  rear  of  their  army  completed  the 
retreat  to  their  shipping  last  night,  leav- 
ing behind  them  many  of  their  men,  des- 
perately wounded,  besides  several  pieces 
of  cannon.  The  city  is  in  a  ferment  of  de- 
light. The  country  is  saved,  the  enemy 
vanquished,  and  hardly  a  widow  or  an  or- 
phan whose  tears  damp  the  general  joy. 
All  is  exultation  and  jubilee.  What  do 
we  not  owe  a  protecting  Providence  for 
this  manifestation  of  his  favor!  Permit 
me  to  offer  you  my  congratulations  on  this 
auspicious  termination  of  our  trials  and 
tribulations,  and  to  assure  you  of  the  ever- 
lasting respect  of 

Your  obedient  and  admiring  servant, 
Thomas  B.  Johnson. 

Mrs.  Madison's  only  child,  James  Payne 
Todd,  the  son  of  her  first  marriage,  had 
been  educated  at  an  excellent  Roman 
Catholic  school  in  Baltimore,  under  the 
charge  of  the  Bishop  of  Maryland.  Hav- 
ing a  fortune  in  his  own  rio^ht,  and  beins: 
the  idol  of  his  mother,  he  had  grown  up 
rather  self-willed  and  impatient  of  control, 
though  bright  and  attractive  ;  so  much  so 
that  it  was  proposed  he  should  be  attached 


128  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

to  the  special  embassy  going  to  Ghent  to 
confer  with  the  British  representatives  on 
the  subject  of  the  famous  treaty.  This 
offer  was  immediately  accepted  by  Mrs. 
Madison  for  her  son,  knowing  that  going 
with  her  cordial  friends  would  insure  every 
kindness  to  the  young  man,  while  the  life 
with  them,  in  Washington,  brought  with 
it  many  temptations.  The  following  two 
letters  from  Mrs.  Albert  Gallatin  were 
found  among  Mrs.  Madison's  papers,  giv- 
ing tidings  of  the  absent  son. 

New  York,  July  2,  1814. 
I  understand,  my  dear  friend,  that  you 
did  not  receive  any  letter  from  Payne  by 
the  last  arrivals.  I  will  communicate  to 
you  with  pleasure  what  Mr.  Gallatin  says 
of  him.  He  says  Todd  and  Millegan  left 
St.  Petersburg  before  them,  and  took  the 
Sweden  route  ;  found  the  coast  frozen,  and 
after  a  long  detention  came  by  way  of  Co- 
penhagen, and  joined  them  at  Amsterdam 
the  day  before  they  left  it  ;  that  Payne 
had  gone  on  a  visit  to  Paris,  and  was  to 
return  to  Mr.  Gallatin  in  three  weeks  ;  he 
set  off  the  7th  of  May  from  London.  He 
will  have  a  very  pleasant  jaunt,  no  doubt, 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  129 

and  Dallas  expected  to  follow  him.  Mille- 
gan  was  gone  on  a  message  to  Gotten- 
burgh.  I  dare  not  write  you  a  long  letter 
for  fear  of  being  too  late  for  the  mail,  and 
I  wish  you  to  get  the  information  as  soon 
as  possible,  for  I  know  you  must  be  anx- 
ious. Remember  me  to  your  sister,  and 
believe  me  your  very  sincere  friend, 

W.  Gallatin. 

New  York,  August  13,  181 5. 
Ah,  my  dear  friend,  what  misery  are  we 
enduring !  How  can  Mr.  Crawford  be  so 
unfeeling.?  I  thought  you  had  certainly 
received  every  information  about  your  be- 
loved Payne,  and  was  in  hopes  from  day  to 
day  that  it  would  come  to  Mr.  C.'s  recol- 
lection, also,  what  my  feelings  must  be. 
But  alas  !  not  one  word  from  him.  William 
Nicholson  (whom  you  may  remember  lived 
with  us)  tells  me  that  Mr.  Crawford  wrote 
to  Mr.  Gallatin  that  the  ship  could  not  be 
detained  on  account  of  Mr.  Bayard,  and 
that  Mr.  Gallatin  answered  it  was  impos- 
sible for  them  to  be  at  Plymouth  before 
the  24th  of  June,  and  that  they  sailed  im- 
mediately without  waiting  for  any  further 
information  from  them.  It  is  proved,  to  be 
9 


130  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

sure,  that  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  for 
poor  Mr.  Bayard  died  the  sixth  day  after 
their  arrival,  Mr.  Crawford  I  can  never 
forgive  for  not  attending  a  little  to  our 
feelings.  Oh  !  what  anguish  there  is  in 
disappointed  hope.  Our  servant,  Henry, 
has  arrived  in  the  Neptune  with  all  Mr. 
Gallatin's  and  James's  baggage ;  I  have 
written  to  Captain  Jones  to  send  them  on 
here  to  me  with  Henry,  who  is  a  faith- 
ful, excellent  creature.  His  family  live  in 
Washington,  and  I  presume  he  will  be  anx- 
ious to  go  and  see  them.  I  will  then  get 
him  to  take  charge  of  all  the  things  be- 
longing to  Payne  and  yourself,  and  deliver 
them  in  Washington.  I  am  told  he  was 
much  distressed  at  the  ship's  sailing  with- 
out his  master. 

I  have  seen  in  the  newspaper  that  a 
vessel  had  arrived  at  Boston,  direct  from 
London,  left  there  the  26th  of  June,  and 
the  captain  says  was  to  have  brought  out 
Messrs.  Clay,  Gallatin,  and  suite,  but  they 
afterwards  concluded  to  sail  from  Liver- 
pool. I  presume  from  this  that  they  had 
finished  the  treaty,  and  we  may  expect 
them  any  moment.  I  think  they  will  come 
to  New  York,  and  the  instant  they  arrive. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  131 

my  dear  friend,  I  will  let  you  know  of  it. 
You  and  I  can  best  feel  for  one  another. 
In  the  mean  time,  if  Mr.  Crawford  should 
give  you  any  information  about  them,  do 
let  me  know  ;  at  all  events,  write  to  me, 
like  a  dear  friend.  I  believe  the  captain 
on  board  is  careful,  and  we  need  not  feel 
uneasy  about  our  properties  ;  but  what  a 
disappointment  to  those  left  behind,  —  all 
the  clothes  they  needed  at  sea,  besides  lit- 
tle conveniences  which  will  be  hard  for  my 
poor  husband,  who  is  distressedly  sick  at 
sea,  and  Henry  was  his  nurse.  I  can  nei- 
ther eat  nor  sleep,  after  all  my  anxiety 
about  the  Neptune,  that  she  should  arrive 
without  my  husband  and  child.  It  is,  in- 
deed, distressing  beyond  anything,  and  I 
fear  to  expect  them,  lest  I  should  have  an- 
other disappointment.  It  must  be  a  com- 
fort to  you  to  have  your  sister  with  you, 
and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  me  to  hear  that  she 
and  her  children  are  well.  Pray  remember 
me  to  her,  and  to  Mr.  Madison.  Heaven 
bless  you. 

Ever  your  affectionate  friend, 

W.  Gallatin. 


132  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

TO    MRS.    MADISON    FROM    MADAME    d'yRUJO 

(sally  mckean). 

Baltimore,  Jtme  20,  18 12. 
My  dear  Mrs.  Madison,  —  I  arrived 
here  about  ten  days  ago,  and  had  a  strong 
desire  to  write  you  the  moment  of  my  ar- 
rival, but  the  state  of  affairs  suggested  to 
me  this  idea,  that  it  was  most  prudent  to 
suspend  it  until  things  took  a  decisive  turn, 
lest  some  exalted  patriot  might  suspect 
our  innocent  correspondence.  This  motive 
having  at  present  ceased,  I  do  not  lose  a 
moment  to  write  you  ;  it  would  delight  me 
to  spend  a  day  with  you,  and  be  able  to 
press  you  to  my  heart,  but  I  am  obliged  to 
set  out  for  Philadelphia  to-morrow,  or  next 
day,  at  furthest.  I  will  not  leave  America, 
however,  without  seeing  you.  On  account 
of  the  Marquis's  health  becoming  affected 
by  the  climate  of  Brazil,  he  asked  to  be 
recalled,  and  we  were  on  the  point  of  em- 
barking in  a  ship  going  directly  to  Spain, 
when,  happily  for  me,  a  fine  ship  from  this 
port  came  along,  and  I  prevailed  on  the 
Marquis  to  return  by  way  of  my  own  dear 
native  country,  on  condition  of  departing 
for  Cadiz  in  October.  But.  I  will  not  go 
before  next  spring,  if  I  can  possibly  help  it, 
for  am  tired  of  so  many  long  voyages. 


OF  MRS.   MAD /son:  133 

Your  son  Payne  has  been  twice  to  see 
me,  but  unfortunately  I  was  out  both  times  ; 
the  Marquis  saw  him,  and  says  he  is  a  fine 
young  man,  grown  so  tall  and  handsome. 
I  shall  make  an  effort  to  find  him  to-day, 
and  intend  to  ask  him  if  he  remembers  that 
when  a  little  fellow  he  pulled  off  General 
Van  Courtland's  wig  at  the  very  moment 
he  was  making  me  a  flourishing  compli- 
ment. What  has  become  of  the  old  beau  ? 
The  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  this  place 
have  been  very  polite  to  me,  every  one  has 
been  to  see  us,  and  I  have  dined  at  home 
but  once. 

I  have  been  highly  amused  by  a  piece  of 
poetry,  relative  to  a  scene  they  say  took 
place  in  Washington  last  winter,  in  which 
the  famous  Count  de  Crillon  cut  a  figure, 
as  well  as  some  ladies,  and  I  am  told  the 
winter  was  a  most  dashing  one  in  your 
city.  I  am  sorry  the  Count  P.  left  just 
before  our  arrival,  so  many  fine  things 
are  said  in  his  praise.  I  find  Madame  Bo- 
naparte a  good  deal  changed.  We  had 
heard  in  Rio  Janeiro  that  she  bore  the 
title  of  "Duchess,"  and  had  a  salary  of 
fifty  thousand  pounds.  I  verily  think  when 
I  see  you  and  Anna   once  more,  there  is 


134  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

SO  much  to  tell  you  of  what  I  have  seen 
and  heard  abroad  as  would  keep  me  talking 
for  three  days  without  stopping,  and  I  am 
morally  certain  I  should  make  you  laugh, 
and  your  good  husband  too,  for  I  am  just 
as  giddy  and  full  of  spirits  as  ever.  In- 
deed, I  am  for  the  French  principle,  never 
to  let  anything  trouble  me  much  unless  it 
is  absolutely  necessary. 

Your  sister  Lucy  is  again  married,  I 
hear,  but  am  sorry  she  has  gone  so  far  off ; 
rumor  says  she  has  been  a  great  belle,  and 
is  as  lively  and  amiable  as  ever.  Tell  me 
if  you  received  a  letter  from  me  dated  Rio 
Janeiro,  by  Mr.  C.  of  this  place,  as  I  never 
received  an  answer.  In  answer  to  the  thou- 
sand questions  I  have  asked  about  you, 
they  say  that  you  never  looked  so  well  in 
your  life,  and  that  you  give  and  have  given 
universal  satisfaction  to  all  friends  and 
visitors,  which  is,  indeed,  a  very  difficult 
matter,  that  of  pleasing  everybody.  You, 
however,  were  always  so  good,  and  pos- 
sessed such  an  amiable  temper,  as  to  make 
every  one  your  friend.  I  have  heard  much 
in  your  praise  from  the  American  gentle- 
men who  have  been  in  Brazil,  when,  you 
may  be  sure,  I  asked  hundreds  of  ques- 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  135 

tions  about  you  all.  My  two  dear  children 
(only  two)  are  well,  and  grown  so  much  you 
would  not  know  them.  They  speak  Eng- 
lish, Spanish,  and  Portuguese  fluently,  and 
are  learning  French.  I  find  I  cannot  now 
say  a  word  in  that  language  I  do  not  want 
them  to  understand.  Give  my  love  (yes 
love !)  to  Mr.  Madison,  and  ask  him  if  he 
has  entirely  forgotten  me,  and  the  dear  old 
times  }  And  when  you  write  to  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son's daughter,  Mrs.  Randolph,  pray  re- 
member me  particularly  to  her.  She  is  a 
sweet  woman,  and  I  have  a  great  regard 
for  her.  The  Marquis  desires  his  best 
compliments  to  yourself  and  Mr.  Madison. 
And  believe  me,  my  dear  Mrs.  Madison, 
your  old  and  affectionate  friend, 

Sally  d'Yrujo. 

general  lafayette  to  mr.  madison. 

Paris,  Ge?'mifial  the  loth,  nth  year. 
My  DEAR  Madison,  —  General  Berna- 
dotte  is  so  gloriously  introduced  by  his 
own  reputation  and  character,  that  I  shall 
only  present  him  to  you  as  my  personal 
friend.  He  is  of  all  men  the  one  I  should 
prefer  to  see  going  to  America  as  an  am- 
bassador, was  he  not  also  the  man  whom 


136  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

all  true  and  steady  patriots  cannot  but 
heartily  wish  to  keep  nearer  to  his  own 
country,  where  none  surpass  and  few  can 
equal  the  sincerity  and  steadiness  of  his 
republican  civism.  Madame  Bernadotte 
accompanies  him  on  this  mission,  and  I 
hope  the  amiable  consort  of  the  general 
will  meet  from  our  American  ladies  the 
reception  to  which  she  is  so  well  entitled. 
She  particularly  wishes  to  obtain  the 
friendship  of  Mrs.  Madison,  and  I  have 
no  doubt,  from  the  knowledge  of  your 
mutual  sentiments,  that  the  intimacy  will 
be  soon  established  between  the  two  fam- 
ilies. Mr.  Livingstone's  correspondence 
will  acquaint  you  with  the  political  trans- 
actions of  Europe,  and  the  situation  of  af- 
fairs respecting  America.  I  shall  the  less 
expatiate  on  these  points  as  I  am  under 
very  painful  operations,  resulting  from  an 
accident,  the  particulars  of  which  may  be 
given  you  by  General  Bernadotte.  With 
heartfelt  gratitude,  but  without  surprise,  I 
have  heard  in  how  friendly  a  way  you  have 
interested  yourself  about  my  affairs. 

I  hope  a  long  letter  from  me  .  .  .  has 
reached  you.  May  the  affair  of  Louisiana 
be  settled  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  so  that 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  137 

her  passage  to  the  situation  of  an  united 
and  independent  commonwealth,  as  it  can- 
not fail  in  every  chance  to  be  soon  the 
case,  be  not  attended  with  any  disagree- 
ment between  the  two  countries  to  whom 
I  am  so  patriotically  bound.  Adieu,  my 
dear  sir. 

I  am  most  affectionately  your  old  and 
constant  friend,  Lafayette. 

Madame  Serurier,  the  wife  of  another 
Minister  from  France,  was  a  great  pet  and 
friend  of  Mrs.  Madison.  She  is  repre- 
sented as  being  wonderfully  beautiful  and 
attractive,  and  withal  the  heroine  of  quite 
a  romantic  story.  Her  parents,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Pageot,  then  living  in  New  York,  were 
refugees  from  the  island  of  St.  Domingo. 
Their  flight  had  been  attended  by  many 
hair -breadth  escapes,  until  reaching  the 
vessel  which  was  to  bear  them  away  from 
their  troubles  they  began  to  breathe  more 
freely  and  to  consider  themselves  compara- 
tively safe. 

This  feeling  of  confidence,  however,  was 
premature  ;  that  night  just  before  saiHng, 
a  band  of  natives  who  had  followed  up  the 
fugitives  came  on  board,  and  discovering 


138  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

the  objects  of  their  search  were  on  the 
point  of  murdering  them,  when  the  cries 
awakening  their  daughter,  then  only  a 
child  of  seven  years,  she  rushed  on  deck, 
clad  in  the  little  white  gown  in  which  she 
had  been  sleeping,  and,  throwing  herself 
at  the  feet  of  the  brutal  negroes,  implored 
them  to  spare  the  lives  of  her  parents. 
Astonished  and  superstitious,  half  believ- 
ing it  was  a  spirit  before  them,  they  paused 
and  gradually  dispersed,  leaving  the  ship 
to  make  the  most  of  its  opportunity  to  es- 
cape. Directly  on  their  arrival.  Monsieur 
Serurier  brought  her  to  one  of  Mrs.  Madi- 
son's drawing-rooms,  where  she  conceived 
a  most  enthusiastic  and  lasting  friendship 
for  her  hostess.  Twenty  years  later  Mon- 
sieur Serurier  was  again  appointed  to  rep- 
resent France  in  Washington,  and  their 
friendship  was  renewed  by  a  long  and  en- 
joyable visit  to  Montpelier. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  1 39 


CHAPTER  X. 

Many  houses  were  offered  to  the  Presi- 
dent on  his  return  to  Washington,  and  for 
a  year  he  rented  a  building  called  the  Oc- 
tagon, owned  by  Colonel  Taylor,  and  there 
it  was  that  the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed. 
Afterwards  he  removed  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  Pennsylvania  Avenue  and  Nine- 
teenth Street,  to  a  large  house,  which  had 
previously  been  occupied  by  the  Treasury 
Department. 

The  White  House  was  repaired  only  in 
time  for  Mr.  Monroe.  An  old  citizen  says 
"  that  the  drawing-room  of  Mrs.  Madison 
in  February,  18 16,  was  remembered  for 
years  as  the  most  brilliant  ever  held  up 
to  that  date  in  the  Executive  Mansion. 
The  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  were 
present  in  their  gowns,  at  the  head  of 
whom  was  Chief  Justice  Marshall.  The 
Peace  Commissioners  to  Ghent  —  Gallatin, 
Bayard,  Clay,  and  Russell  —  were  in  the 
company. 


I40  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

Mr.  Adams  alone  was  absent.  The  levee 
was  made  additionally  brilliant  by  the  he- 
roes of  the  War  of  1812,  Major-Generals 
Brown,  Gaines,  Scott,  and  Ripley,  with 
their  aids,  all  in  full  dress  uniform,  form- 
ing an  attractive  feature.  The  return  of 
peace  had  restored  the  kindest  feehng  at 
home  and  abroad.  The  Federalists  and 
Democrats  of  both  Houses  of  Congress, 
party  politicians,  citizens,  and  strangers, 
were  brought  together  as  friends  to  be 
thankful  for  the  present,  and  to  look  for- 
ward with  security  to  the  future. 

The  Diplomatic  Corps,  too,  was  well  rep- 
resented in  the  gorgeousness  of  court  dress, 
prominent  in  which  was  Sir  Charles  Bagot, 
special  ambassador  from  our  late  enemy. 
Great  Britain.  It  was  on  this  occasion 
that  he  made  the  remark  that  "  Mrs.  Mad- 
ison looked  every  inch  a  queen." 

Two  plain  ladies  from  the  West,  passing 
through  Washington,  determined  not  to 
leave  without  seeing  Mrs.  Madison  ;  and 
having  but  little  time  were  very  much 
puzzled  how  to  accomplish  it. 

Meeting  an  old  gentleman  in  the  street 
early  next  morning,  who  happened  to  be  a 
friend  of  Mrs.  Madison's,  they  timidly  ex- 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  14I 

plained  their  wish,  and  requested  him  to 
show  them  the  way  to  the  President's 
house.  Pleased  with  their  simplicity  he 
took  pleasure  in  conducting  them  himself, 
where  he  found  the  family  at  breakfast. 
Mrs.  Madison  good-naturedly  went  in  to 
the  parlor  to  be  inspected,  and  put  the  old 
ladies  quite  at  their  ease  by  her  cordial 
welcome. 

Their  astonishment,  however,  at  seeing 
so  great  a  personage  in  a  dark  gray  stuff 
dress,  with  a  white  apron,  and  kerchief 
pinned  across  her  breast  was  unbounded, 
but  so  reassuring,  that  when  the  time  came 
for  leaving,  one  of  them  said  :  "  P'r'aps 
you  wouldn't  mind  if  I  just  kissed  you,  to 
tell  my  girls  about."  Mrs.  Madison,  not 
to  be  outdone  by  her  guests'  politeness, 
gracefully  embraced  them  both,  and  after 
many  expressions  of  admiration  and  friend- 
liness the  delighted  old  ladies  departed. 

At  a  drawing-room  held  by  Mrs.  Madi- 
son in  1813  "General  Harrison  was  the 
subject  of  a  dispute  between  a  lady  of 
great  beauty  and  high  connections  and  Mr. 
Madison.  She  observed  when  she  went  in 
that  General  Harrison  had  received  her 
commands  to  meet  her  at    the   reception 


142  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

this  evening.  *  But  that  he  cannot  do,' 
said  the  President,  '  because  he  left  Wash- 
ington this  morning,  with  his  horses  and 
attendants,  from  the  door  of  this  house, 
and  must  now  be  some  twenty  or  thirty 
miles  on  his  way  to  the  West.'  *  Still,' 
replied  the  lady,  laughing,  '  he  must  be 
here,  for  I  laid  my  command  upon  him, 
and  he  is  too  gallant  a  man  to  disobey 
me.'  The  President  rejoined  with  his 
manner  of  gentle  but  positive  assurance, 
*  We  shall  soon  see  whose  orders  he  obeys,' 
when  the  door  opened  and  General  Harri- 
son appeared  with  his  military  attendants 
in  full  uniform,  and  the  lady  smiled  her 
triumph  over  the  most  successful  General 
of  that  day  and  the  President  of  the 
United  States." 

Until  the  close  of  Mr.  Madison's  troubled 
administration  in  1817,  Mrs.  Madison  con- 
tinued to  dispense  her  hospitalities  in  the 
same  hearty,  simple  manner,  having  among 
her  guests  from  time  to  time  many  distin- 
guished men,  among  whom  were  Thomas 
Moore,  Talleyrand,  Chateaubriand,  Volney, 
General  Moreau,  Joseph  and  Jerome  Bona- 
parte, Dr.  Priestly,  the  celebrated  philoso- 
pher and  polemical  divine,  and  others. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  143 

It  had  been  said  by  a  foreigner  that 
"  her  table  was  more  like  a  harvest  home 
supper  than  the  entertainment  of  a  high 
official."  These  and  similar  remarks  came 
to  her  ears,  and  she  observed  with  a  smile, 
"■  that  to  her,  abundance  was  preferable  to 
elegance  ;  that  circumstances  formed  cus- 
toms, and  customs  formed  taste  ;  and  as 
the  profusion  so  laughed  at  by  foreigners 
arose  from  the  happy  circumstance  of  the 
superabundance  and  prosperity  of  ou.r 
country,  she  did  not  hesitate  to  sacrifice 
the  delicacy  of  European  taste  for  the  less 
elegant,  but  more  liberal,  fashion  of  Vir- 
ginia." 

Washington  had  so  long  been  the  home 
of  Mrs.  Madison  that  it  was  with  much  re- 
gret she  prepared  to  leave  it.  Many  and 
dear  were  her  friends,  and  they  united  in 
showing  every  attention  that  affection  and 
respect  could  dictate.  The  actual  depar- 
ture was  delayed  for  some  time  by  the 
many  entertainments  given  in  honor  of 
the  Ex-President  and  his  wife. 

From  a  letter  written  by  a  Virginia  lady, 
who  was  once  an  inmate  of  the  White 
House,  we  take  the  following  extract  :  — 

"  My  recollections  of  Mrs.  Madison  are 


144  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

of  the  most  agreeable  nature,  and  were 
formed  from  a  long  and  intimate  acquaint- 
ance, beginning  in  my  childhood  and  end- 
ing only  with  her  life.  She  had  a  sweet 
natural  dignity  of  manner,  which  attracted - 
while  it  commanded  respect ;  a  proper  de- 
gree of  reserve  without  stiffness  in  com- 
pany with  strangers ;  and  a  stamp  of 
frankness  and  sincerity,  which,  with  her 
intimate  friends,  became  gayety  and  play- 
fulness of  manner.  There  was,  too,  a  cor- 
dial, genial,  sunny  atmosphere  surround- 
ing her  which  won  all  hearts  —  and  was 
one  of  the  secrets  of  her  popularity.  She 
was  said  to  be,  during  Mr.  Madison's 
administration,  the  most  popular  person 
in  the  United  States,  and  she  certainly 
had  a  remarkable  memory  for  names  and 
faces.  No  person  introduced  to  Mrs.  Mad- 
ison at  one  of  the  crowded  levees  at  the 
White  House  required  a  second  presen- 
tation on  meeting  her  again,  but  had  the 
gratification  of  being  recognized  and  ad- 
dressed by  name.  Her  son,  Payne  Todd, 
was  a  worthless  fellow,  and  his  behavior 
was  the  great  sorrow  of  her  life.  Mr. 
Madison,  during  his  lifetime,  bore  with 
him  like  a  father,  and  paid  many  of  his 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 45 

debts  ;  but  he  was  an  incorrigible  spend- 
thrift, and  spent  his  own  fortune  and  his 
mother's  too,  embittering  the  last  years  of 
her  life." 


TO    MRS.    MADISON    FROM    MRS.    LEE. 

Washington,  March  4,  181 7. 

My  dear  Friend,  —  On  this  day  eight 
years  ago,  I  wrote  from  the  retirement  of 
Sully  to  congratulate  you  on  the  joyful 
event  that  placed  you  in  the  highest  sta- 
tion our  country  can  bestow.  I  then  en- 
joyed the  proudest  feelings  —  that  my 
friend,  the  friend  of  my  youth,  who  never 
had  forsaken  me,  should  be  thus  distin- 
guished, and  so  peculiarly  fitted  for  it. 

How  much  greater  cause  have  I  to  con- 
gratulate you  at  this  period,  for  having  so 
filled  it  as  to  render  yourself  more  envi- 
able this  day  than  your  successor,  as  it  is 
more  difficult  to  deserve  the  gratitude  and 
thanks  of  the  community  than  their  con- 
gratulations. You  have  most  decidedly 
deserved  all  of  this.  Being  deprived,  by 
the  sickness  of  my  child,  from  joining  the 
multitude  to-day  in  paying  my  respects 
where  they  are  due,  I  feel  the  sweetest 
10 


146  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

consolation  in  devoting  myself  to  you. 
My  heart  clings  to  you,  my  beloved  friend, 
and  has  done  so  for  the  last  fortnight,  with 
a  selfishness  that  produces  the  keenest 
feelings  of  regret,  and  though  my  domestic 
habits,  more  than  inclination,  have  pre- 
vented my  taking  advantage  of  your  kind 
invitations  to  be  more  with  you,  yet  I  felt 
a  security  and  pleasure  in  being  so  near 
you,  and  a  confidence  in  your  affection, 
that  constituted  my  chief  pride  as  a  citi- 
zen, I  assure  you.  But  the  period  has  at 
length  arrived  when  we  must  again  part. 
You  will  retire  from  the  tumult  and  fa- 
tigue of  public  life  to  your  favorite  retreat 
in  Orange  County,  and  will  carry  with  you 
principles  and  manners  not  to  be  put  off 
with  the  robe  of  state,  having  been  drawn 
from  maternal  breasts,  and  nurtured  from 
the  example  of  those  dear,  pious  parents, 
to  whom  you  ever  resigned  yourself  with 
such  filial  obedience  and  devotion  as  to 
bring  their  blessings  on  your  head.  Tal- 
ents such  as  yours  were  never  intended 
to  remain  inactive  ;  on  retiring  from  pub- 
lic life,  you  will  form  a  more  fortunate  ar- 
rangement of  your  time,  be  able  to  display 
them  in   the   more   noble  and  interesting 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  1 47 

walks  of  life.  You  will  cherish  them,  my 
dear  friend,  in  a  more  native  soil  ;  they 
will  constitute  the  chief  felicity  of  your 
dear,  venerated  husband,  and  descend  in 
full  perfection  to  your  son.  I  remember 
at  this  moment,  in  my  last  conversation 
with  my  venerable  uncle,  your  father's 
friend,  he  said  of  you,  "  She  will  hold  out 
to  the  end  ;  she  was  a  dutiful  daughter, 
and  never  turned  her  back  on  an  old 
friend,  and  was  charitable  to  the  poor." 
Will  you  do  me  the  favor,  dear  Dolly, — 
for  it  is  near  my  heart  that  you  should,  — 
take  advantage  of  some  leisure  moment 
to  say  something  for  me  to  your  husband. 
In  the  fullness  of  my  gratitude  I  can  ex- 
press nothing,  but  shall  ever  hold  in  re- 
membrance the  highly  valued  friendship 
and  confidence  he  has  shown  my  husband. 
I  rejoice  to  hear  that  you  do  not  leave  the 
city  very  soon,  and  may  hope  to  enjoy 
your  society,  though  I  presume  your  en- 
gagements are  most  numerous  just  now. 
I  must  ask  your  pardon  for  thrusting  such 
an  epistle  upon  you,  but  it  relieves  my 
heart,  and  will  not,  I  trust,  wound  yours  ; 
it  demands  no  other  acknowledgment,  at 
present,    than    a    cordial    reception.      It 


148  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

grows  dark,  and  I  want  you  to  have  this 
on  this  momentous  evening. 

Believe  me  most  truly  yours, 

Eliza  Lee. 

There  were  many  persons  who  ascribed 
to  Mrs.  Madison  a  degree  of  influence 
over  the  public  conduct  of  her  husband 
far  greater  than  really  existed.  That  her 
opinions,  even  upon  public  affairs,  had 
great  weight  with  her  husband  is  unques- 
tionably true,  for  he  frequently  gave  his 
testimony  to  the  solidity  of  her  advice ; 
but  there  is  no  evidence  that  it  either  orig- 
inated or  materially  altered  any  part  of  the 
course  he  had  laid  out  for  himself.  When- 
ever she  differed  in  sentiment  from  him, 
she  perfectly  understood  her  own  position, 
and  that  the  best  way  of  recommending 
her  views  was  by  entire  concession.  A 
word  said  after  the  mood  had  passed  would 
receive  great  consideration  from  him  ;  her 
influence  was  of  that  calm,  negative  order, 
which  often  prevents  evil  consequences 
from  momentary  indiscretion. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  149 


CHAPTER  XL 

Mr.  Madison's  second  term  having  ex- 
pired, and  his  Secretary  of  State,  James 
Monroe,  being  installed  in  the  Presidency, 
he  gladly  retired  to  his  dearly-loved  Mont- 
pelier,  where  with  a  few  congenial  friends 
around  him,  he  could  still  give  a  large  pro- 
portion of  his  time  to  his  favorite  studies. 
He  was  a  silent,  grave  man,  whose  nature 
was  relieved  by  a  vein  of  quaint,  quiet 
humor,  which,  in  his  moments  of  relaxa- 
tion, gave  an  inexpressible  charm  to  his 
presence.  A  statesman  of  an  unusually 
sound  mind  and  great  research,  his  diplo- 
matic correspondence  was  remarkable  for 
its  clearness  and  precision  ;  the  language, 
well-chosen  and  to  the  point,  showed  a 
cool,  clear  judgment,  which  caused  him  to 
be  referred  to  in  matters  of  importance, 
even  before  and  after  his  many  years  of 
public  life. 

He  combined  with  a  free  and  manly  ex- 
pression of  his  opinions  an  observance  of 


150  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

parliamentary  courtesy,  worthy  of  the  dig- 
nity of  his  character,  and  of  the  gravity 
and  importance  of  the  question  at  issue. 
His  style  of  dress^.was  never  altered  :  plain 
black  cloth  coat  and  knee-breeches  with 
buckles,  the  hair  powdered  and  worn  in  a 
queue  behind ;  the  daily  task  of  dressing 
it  devolved  upon  his  wife,  who  would  not 
think  his  body-servant  capable  of  doing  it 
justice.  He  was  a  decided  contrast  to 
Mrs.  Madison,  who  was  still  blooming,  and 
showed  little  sign  of  the  forty-five  years 
she  was  entitled  to.  Always  handsomely 
and  becomingly  dressed,  her  matronly  fig- 
ure had  not  yet  outgrown  the  grace  and 
dignity  so  much  admired. 

He  shared  with  General  Washington 
and  Mr.  Jefferson  a  great  predilection  for 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  Montpelier,  his 
father's  residence,  had  always  been  his 
home  during  the  few  months  in  summer 
that  he  was  enabled  to  throw  off  partially 
the  cares  of  official  life.  He  devoted  him- 
self with  great  earnestness,  as  well  as  a 
keen  relish,  to  the  tranquil  and  tranquiliz- 
ing  pursuits  of  the  country,  identifying 
himself  with  all  its  familiar  and  home-bred 
interests,  and  embarking  with  zeal  in  every 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  1 5  I 

plan  for  the  improvement  of  agriculture, 
its  processes,  and  its  implements.  A  few- 
extracts  from  the  almost  daily  correspond- 
ence between  him  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  at 
the  time  of  one  of  his  congressional  va- 
cations, will  show  the  primitive  tastes  of 
these  two  statesmen,  which  with  Washing- 
ton made  them  the  true  representatives  of 
the  great  agricultural  classes  and  interests 
of  America. 

In  his  first  letter  from  Virginia  he  says  : 
"Our  fields  continue  to  anticipate  a  luxu- 
riant harvest.  The  greatest  danger  is  ap- 
prehended from  too  rapid  a  vegetation, 
under  the  present  warm  weather.  .  .  . 
Will  you  be  so  good,  in  case  an  opportu- 
nity should  offer,  to  inquire  of  Dr.  Logan 
as  to  the  ploughs  he  was  to  have  made 
and  sent  to  Mrs.  House's  for  me."  In  a 
letter  a  few  weeks  later,  he  speaks  with 
the  anxiety  and  minuteness  of  a  practical 
farmer,  of  the  unfavorable  change  which 
the  intervening  period  had  made  in  the 
prospects  of  the  crops. 

"  Our  fine  prospects  in  the  wheat-field 
have  been  severely  injured  by  the  weather 
for  some  time  past.  The  wheat  had  gotten 
safe   into    the    head,   and    with    tolerable 


152  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

weather  would  have  ripened  into  a  most 
exuberant  harvest.  .  .  .  Should  the  weather 
be  ever  so  favorable  henceforward,  a  con- 
siderable proportion  will  be  lost." 

Mr.  Jefferson  found  time,  in  the  midst 
of  his  absorbing  duties  as  Secretary  of 
State,  to  execute  the  commission  of  his 
friend,  and  to  indulge  his  yearnings  for 
the  country  life  from  which  he  was  so  re- 
luctantly parted.  In  a  letter  on  the  9th  of 
June,  1793,  he  says  to  Mr.  Madison  :  "Your 
ploughs  shall  be  duly  attended  to.  Have 
you  taken  notice  of  Tull's  horse-shoeing 
plough  ?  I  am  persuaded  that  it  is  good 
where  you  wish  your  work  to  be  very  exact, 
and  our  great  plough,  where  a  less  degree 
of  exactness  is  required,  leaves  us  nothing 
to  wish  for  from  other  countries  as  to 
ploughs,  under  our  circumstances.  I  have 
not  yet  received  my  (Scotch)  threshing- 
machine.  I  fear  the  late  long  and  heavy 
rains  have  extended  to  us,  and  affected 
our  wheat." 

These  allusions  to  rural  life,  and  its  in- 
terests and  occupations,  recur  perpetually 
in  all  the  letters  of  the  two  friends,  in  the 
midst  of  the  gravest  discussions  on  the 
country's   welfare,   and    exhibits,   besides. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 53 

another  pleasing  feature  in  Mr.  Madison's 
character  as  a  country  gentleman.  He 
gave  himself  up  with  a  free  and  conge- 
nial spirit  to  the  duties  of  hospitality  and 
the  calls  of  social  intercourse  and  friend- 
ship. He  goes  to  pay  promised  visits  to 
two  friends  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Albemarle,  Colonel  Monroe  and  Colonel 
Wilson  Cary  Nicholas  ;  and  on  his  return 
writes  to  Mr.  Jefferson  :  "  I  find  the  house 
full  of  particular  friends,  who  will  stay 
some  weeks,  receiving  and  returning  visits, 
from  which  I  cannot  decently  exclude  my- 
self, even  for  my  dear  library." 

We  are  tempted  to  pursue  still  further 
the  unreserved  correspondence  of  these  two 
congenial  friends ;  in  one  letter,  where 
Mr.  Jefferson  feels  so  anxious  to  return  to 
Monticello,  that  he  is  seriously  tempted  to 
resign  the  portfolio  of  State  ;  and  in  an- 
other, where  he  writes  to  urge  Mr.  Madi- 
son to  purchase  a  farm  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  his  own  home,  "  a  nice  little 
place,"  he  adds,  "which  purchase  would 
add  so  much  to  my  happiness." 

Enough  has  been  said,  however,  to  show 
the  spirit  with  which  Mr.  Madison  turned 
his  back  upon  Washington,  and  the  cares 


154  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

of  office,  devoting  himself  to  his  favorite 
pursuits,  reading  and  farming,  for  the  re- 
maining years  of  his  life.  Mrs.  Madison, 
too,  was  devoted  to  Montpelier,  and  led  a 
busy  life  among  her  household  of  guests, 
and  the  many  interests  of  gardens  and 
poor  people.  Mr.  Madison  senior,  and  his 
eldest  son  Ambrose,  had  both  passed  away, 
leaving  the  property,  which  comprised 
2,500  acres,  to  James,  who  enlarged  the 
house  to  make  room  for  friends,  without 
interfering  at  all  with  his  mother's  house- 
hold. She  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-eight 
years,  retaining  the  use  of  all  the  original 
part  of  the  old  homestead,  and  keeping  up 
the  old-fashioned  hours  ;  waited  upon  by 
servants  who  had  grown  old  in  her  service. 
One  old  negro  at  ninety,  with  a  halo  of 
gray  hair  about  his  head,  refused  to  allow 
any  one  to  take  his  place  behind  his  mis- 
tress's chair,  though  sleep  sometimes  made 
him  totter  in  a  most  alarming  manner. 

General  Lafayette,  when  he  visited  Mont- 
pelier in  his  last  journey  to  this  country  in 
1825,  enjoyed  going  about  with  Mrs.  Mad- 
ison to  all  the  different  cabins  occupied 
by  the  negroes,  one  of  whom.  Granny 
Milly,  a  hundred  and  four  years  old,  lived 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  155 

with  her  daughter  and  granddaughters,  the 
youngest  seventy  years  of  age,  all  retired 
from  their  labors.  These  became  great 
friends  of  his,  and  he  would  stroll  down  to 
the  "  Walnut  Grove  "for  a  little  chat,  com- 
ing back  with  a  fresh  ^gg,  or  a  nosegay 
presented  by  the  old  people. 

The  house  of  Montpelier  lay  on  a  very 
pretty  slope  of  land,  surrounded  by  the 
Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  which  extended  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  with  little  vis- 
tas of  country  roads  winding  in  and  out ; 
roads  eagerly  scanned  with  a  telescope, 
which  was  part  of  the  portico  furniture, 
when  carriages  were  almost  daily  seen, 
bringing  friends,  or  even  strangers,  who 
wished  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  host 
and  hostess.  Tourists  on  the  road  to  the 
Virginia  Springs  were  told  at  Orange 
Court  House  that  they  were  only  five 
miles  from  Ex-President  Madison's,  and 
though  hesitating  to  intrude  upon  his  pri- 
vacy, they  most  of  them  found  their  way 
to  the  hospitable  mansion,  and  were  reas- 
sured by  the  cordiality  of  their  reception. 

A  contemporary  writer,  describing  Mont- 
pelier, says  :  "There  are  few  houses  in  Vir- 
ginia that  gave  a  larger  welcome,  or  made 


156  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

it  more  agreeable,  than  that  over  which 
*  Queen  Dolly,'  the  most  gracious  and  be- 
loved of  all  our  female  sovereigns,  reigned, 
and  wielding  as  skillfully  the  domestic,  as 
she  had  done  worthily  and  popularly  the 
public,  sceptre ;  everything  that  came  be- 
neath her  immediate  and  personal  sway, 
the  care  and  entertainment  of  visitors,  the 
government  of  servants,  the  whole  policy 
of  the  interior,  was  admirably  managed 
with  equal  grace  and  efficacy." 

The  house  had  a  very  large,  wide  por- 
tico in  front,  supported  by  pillars,  where 
Mr.  Madison  exercised  in  stormy  weather, 
walking  his  allotted  number  of  miles.  In 
the  centre  of  the  gravel  walk  to  the  first 
gate,  a  large  tin  cup  was  imbedded  to  show 
the  amount  of  rain  fallen,  which  was  care- 
fully measured  and  brought  to  him,  after  a 
shower,  and  on  the  right  hand  a  path  bor- 
dered with  silver  pine  led  to  a  little  build- 
ing in  the  form  of  a  temple,  surmounted 
by  a  statue  of  Liberty,  and  intended  for  his 
study  ;  from  this,  groups  of  trees  —  silver 
poplar  and  weeping  willow  —  concealed  the 
numerous  out-buildings  so  essential  to  a 
southern  country  -  house.  Back  of  the 
house  was  another  large  portico,  opening 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  157 

on  an  extensive  lawn,  bounded  by  a  ha-ha 
hedge,  and  with  two  large  tulip-trees  in  the 
centre,  so  exactly  alike  that  Mr.  Madison 
named  them  *'  the  twins  ;  "  they  were  still 
standing  a  few  years  ago  in  a  field,  sur- 
rounded by  a  quantity  of  tiger-lilies,  the 
product  of  seed  sent  from  France  by  Gen- 
eral Lafayette.  Our  much-abused  thistle, 
too,  was  first  propagated  in  that  region  by 
a  package  of  seeds  from  the  same  source, 
marked  "very  rare." 

At  some  distance  from  the  house  was  a 
garden  laid  out  in  the  form  of  a  large 
horse-shoe,  and  kept  in  perfect  order  by  a 
French  gardener,  named  Beazee.  This 
Beazee  and  his  wife  came  to  Virginia  at 
the  time  of  the  French  Revolution,  and 
made  themselves  very  popular  with  the 
slaves,  taking  the  trouble  to  teach  some  of 
the  more  enlightened  ones  to  speak  French, 
much  to  the  amusement  of  their  mistress, 
who  laughed  very  heartily  over  the  jargon. 
The  wife  was  a  good  woman,  with  a  very 
voluble  tongue,  and  who  delighted  to  please 
"Madame"  in  any  way.  She  exercised 
her  ingenuity  in  manufacturing  a  very 
ugly  shade  hat,  which  Mrs.  Madison  called 
her  "Beazee  bonnet,"  and  wore  during 
her  morning  rambles  about  the  place. 


158  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

Fruits  of  all  kinds,  including  figs,  flowers, 
and  plants,  many  of  them  rare  and  deli- 
cate, sent  by  admiring  friends,  made  the 
grounds  most  attractive  to  guests.  Roses 
and  white  jessamine  entwined  the  pillars 
of  the  south  portico,  creeping  up  to  the 
terraces  and  making  the  summer  air  rich 
with  perfume,  as  it  stole  in  through  the 
long  drawing-room  windows.  The  "  old 
lady,"  as  she  was  called,  had  her  own  sep- 
arate garden,  laid  out  in  the  most  prim, 
old-fashioned  manner  by  her  own  gardener. 
No  innovation  of  any  kind  was  allowed  in 
her  domain.  She  was  a  woman  of  strong 
mind  and  good  education,  active  and 
bright  up  to  the  last  days  of  her  life, 
taking  a  great  interest  and  pride  in  the 
friends  visiting  her  son  and  daughter,  who 
were  brought  to  see  her  and  her  quaint 
surroundings  at  two  o'clock,  the  hour  set 
apart  for  receiving.  At  this  hour  she  was 
to  be  found  seated  upon  a  couch  in  the 
centre  of  a  large  room,  with  a  table  by  her 
side,  containing  her  Bible  and  prayer-book, 
which,  with  her  knitting,  divided  her  time  ; 
the  innumerable  gloves  and  stockings 
made  by  her,  with  the  names  knitted  in, 
were  presented  to  those  whom  she  fancied 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  159 

among  the  guests.     The  long  hall,  with  its 
highly  polished  floor,   connecting  the  old 
wing  with  the  main  part  of  the  house,  was 
hung  with  pictures,  and  led  into  the  large 
dining-room  in  which  were  many  portraits. 
Napoleon  in  his  ermine  robes,  Louis  the 
Fourteenth,    Confucius,    several    members 
of  the  family,  and  faithful  slaves,  together 
with  a  water-color  painting  of  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son by  his  enthusiastic  admirer  Kosciusko, 
—  these   with    the   many   medalhons    and 
other  testimonials  of  respect  and  admira- 
tion from  crowned  heads  as  well  as  friends, 
covered  the  walls,  while  the  large,  polished 
mahogany  table  and  sideboard  were  bright 
with  silver,  the  accumulation  of  three  fam- 
ilies.    Out  of  this  opened  Mr.   Madison's 
sitting-room,  furnished  with  chairs  and  bed 
of  iron,  brought  by  Mr.  Monroe  from  the 
dismantled  palace  of  the  Tuileries  ;  the  last 
with  very  high  posts,  and  a  heavy  canopy 
of  crimson  damask. 

Here,  with  his  own  desk  and  papers 
around  him,  he  spent  much  time,  and  to- 
wards the  latter  years  of  his  life,  when 
rheumatism  crippled  his  fingers  so  that 
he  could  not  manage  the  knife,  he  dined 
at  a  small  table,  placed  sufficiently  near 


l60  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

the  door  of  the  dining-room  to  permit  con- 
versation with  his  guests.  Another  door 
opened  into  a  room  filled  with  statuary, 
called  the  "  clock-room,"  out  of  respect  to 
an  old-fashioned  English  clock,  which  regu- 
lated the  household  for  many  years.  There 
were  some  fifty  statues  and  busts,  including 
those  of  Washington,  Jefferson  and  the 
elder  Adams,  with  a  very  excellent  profile 
of  himself  in  marble  by  Carried,  who  af- 
terwards lost  his  life  in  prison  from  hav- 
ing invented  the  infernal  machine.  The 
drawing-room  was  carpeted  with  Persian 
rugs,  the  walls  were  quite  covered  with 
mirrors  and  pictures,  six  of  which  last 
were  by  Stuart,  and  the  framed  Declara- 
tion of  Independence;  while  many  pretty 
bits  of  furniture  and  china  made  the 
room  look  cheerful  and  homelike,  as  one 
glanced  through  the  glass  doors  leading 
in  from  the  lawn.  From  the  front  hall  the 
carved  oaken  staircase  led  up-stairs  to  the 
bedrooms  and  the  library,  the  latter  not 
only  lined  with  book-cases,  but  the  centre 
so  filled  with  them  that  there  was  only 
just  room  enough  to  pass  among  them. 
Books  and  pamphlets  were  piled  up  every- 
where, on  every  available  chair  and  table, 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  l6l 

accumulated  by  Mr.  Madison  and  his  fa- 
ther, who  shared  the  same  literary  tastes. 
Added  to  their  own  collection  was  the 
valuable  library  of  Lord  Dunmore,  bought 
by  the  elder  Madison,  and  left  at  his  son's 
death  to  the  University  of  Virginia. 

With  this  pleasant  home,  full  of  friends 
and  waited  upon  by  devoted  slaves,  the 
days  passed  quickly  enough ;  only  once 
did  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Madison  leave  Montpe- 
lier  for  any  distance,  and  that  was  to  go 
to  Richmond,  where  he  attended  the  con- 
vention for  revising  the  Constitution  of 
Virginia.  Here  they  were  very  pleasantly 
entertained ;  the  people,  famed  for  their 
hospitality,  were  delighted  to  welcome  the 
Ex-President  and  his  wife,  who,  after  a  few 
weeks  of  gayety,  were  glad  to  return  home 
to  their  more  quiet  country  life. 

Mrs.  Madison  had  been  very  much  drawn 
to  the  Episcopal  Church  before  leaving 
Washington,  and  though  five  miles  of  bad 
road  intervened  between  her  home  and  the 
nearest  church  at  Orange  Court  House, 
both  Mr.  Madison  and  herself,  with  such 
guests  as  were  of  the  same  mind,  took  the 
long  drive  every  fair  Sunday  until  failing 
11 


1 62  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

health  kept  him  at  home  and  her  to  keep 
him  company. 

One  of  the  great  occasions  for  bringing 
the  neighbors  together  from  far  and  near 
were  the  camp-meetings,  looked  forward 
to  with  great  pleasure  and  participated  in 
by  old  and  young  of  all  denominations. 
Barbecues,  too,  were  at  the  height  of  their 
popularity.  At  these  feasts  the  woods  were 
alive  with  carriages,  horses,  servants,  and 
children  ;  farmers  exchanged  ideas  about 
crops  and  politics,  while  a  long  table  was 
spread  under  the  forest  oaks,  and  heaped 
with  good  things  of  every  kind.  Animals 
were  roasted  whole,  the  punch-bowl  passed 
from  lip  to  lip  accompanied  by  an  appetite 
v/hetted  by  the  invigorating  mountain  air, 
"and  the  pleasure  of  clasping  hands  with 
neighbors  seen  only  at  meeting  time." 
The  woods  rang  with  merriment.  If  not 
too  late,  fiddles  were  produced  by  some  of 
the  negroes,  and  a  dance  ended  the  day, 
the  guests  departing  reluctantly  and  ac- 
cording to  the  number  of  miles  before 
them,  while  the  negroes,  after  a  feast  off 
the  remains  of  the  repast,  made  the  night 
melodious  with  their  wild,  sweet  songs. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  163 

TO    MR.    EDWARD    COLES. 

MONTPELIER,  September  3,  18 19. 

I  have  received,  my  dear  sir,  your  agree- 
able letter,  which  lingered  a  long  time  on 
the  way. 

We  congratulate  you  much  on  the  vari- 
ous successes  of  your  western  career,  and 
the  first  thing  that  strikes  us  is  the  rapid- 
ity of  your  promotions.  Bounding  over 
the  preliminary  sailorship,  the  first  step 
on  the  deck  of  your  bark  —  pardon  me,  of 
the  noble  structure  the  Ark — makes  you 
a  pilot ;  the  name  of  pilot  is  scarcely  pro- 
nounced before  you  are  a  captain  ;  and  in 
less  than  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  the  cap- 
tain starts  up  a  commodore.  On  the  land 
a  scene  opens  out  before  us  in  which  you, 
too,  figure.  We  see  you  at  once  a  plough- 
man, a  rail-splitter,  a  fence-builder,  a  corn- 
planter,  and  a  hay -maker.  To  all  these 
rural  functions,  which  leave  but  a  single 
defect  in  your  title  of  husband-(man),  you 
add  the  facilities  of  a  town  life.  And  to 
cap  the  whole  you  enjoy  the  official  dignity 
of  ''Register  of  the  Land  Office"  in  the 
important  Territory  of  Illinois.  We  repeat 
our  congratulations   on   all   these   honors 


1 64  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

and  employments,  and  wish  that  the  emol- 
uments may  equal  them. 

You  are  well  off,  for  this  year  at  least, 
when  you  can  expect  bread  from  corn 
planted  in  July.  Here,  famine  threatens 
us  in  the  midst  of  fields  planted  in  April. 
So  severe  a  drought  is  not  remembered. 
On  some  farms,  and  among  them  my  two 
small  ones  near  home,  there  has  been  no 
rain  at  all,  or  none  to  produce  any  sensible 
effect.  It  has  been,  I  hear,  particularly 
hard  upon  the  tobacco  crop  in  Virginia, 
and  will  make  a  bad  year. 

You  are  pursuing,  I  observe,  the  true 
course  with  your  negroes  in  order  to  make 
their  freedom  a  fair  experiment  for  their 
happiness.  With  the  habits  of  the  slave 
and  without  the  instruction,  property,  or 
employments  of  ^freeman,  the  blacks,  in- 
stead of  deriving  advantage  from  the  par- 
tial benevolence  of  their  masters,  furnish 
arguments  against  the  general  efforts  in 
their  behalf.  I  wish  your  philanthropy 
could  complete  its  object  by  changing 
their  color  as  well  as  their  legal  condition. 
Without  this  they  seem  destined  to  a  pri- 
vation of  that  moral  rank  and  those  social 
blessings  which  give  to  freedom  more  than^ 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 65 

half  its  value.  Mrs.  Madison  as  well  as 
myself  is  much  gratified  by  your  promise 
to  devote  the  next  winter  to  your  native 
haunts.  We  sincerely  hope  your  arrange- 
ments will  give  us  an  ample  share  of  your 
time.  We  will  then  take  the  case  of  your 
bachelorship  into  serious  and  full  consid- 
eration. Mrs,  Madison  is  well  disposed  to 
give  all  her  aid  in  getting  that  old  thorn 
out  of  your  side,  and  putting  a  young  rib  in 
its  place.  She  very  justly  remarks,  how- 
ever, that  with  your  own  exertions  hers 
will  not  be  wanted,  and  without  them  not 
deserved. 

Accept  our  joint  wishes  for  your  health 
and  every  other  happiness. 

James   Madison. 

Payne  Todd  came  home  from  Europe, 
after  several  years  of  traveling  which  made 
large  inroads  into  his  fortune,  and  bought 
an  estate  in  Virginia.  Much  of  his  time, 
however,  was  spent  in  Philadelphia  and 
Washington,  or  in  wandering  about,  to  his 
mother's  sorrow,  who  had  been  very  anx- 
ious to  have  him  marry  and  settle  down  to 
a  profession. 


1 66  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

TO    PAYNE   TODD,    ESQ. 

r^IONTPELIER,  April  ^,  1823. 

I  am  impatient  to  hear  from  you,  my 
dearest  Payne,  and  had  I  known  where  to 
direct  I  should  have  written  you  before 
this  :  not  that  there  is  anything  particular 
to  communicate,  but  for  the  pleasure  of 
repeating  how  much  I  love  you,  and  to 
hear  of  your  happiness. 

Your  father  received  the  journal  of 
"  Las  Casas,"  with  your  name  in  it,  from 
Philadelphia,  which  is  an  indication  that 
you  are  there,  and  I  write  accordingly. 
We  returned  yesterday  from  Monticello, 
after  passing  three  days  with  Mr.  Jefferson 
and  one  with  Judge  Nelson. 

Ellen  and  Virginia  were  indisposed,  but 
all  the  others,  with  Mr.  Jefferson,  are  well ; 
they  hoped  to  have  seen  you  with  us.  I 
inclose  a  letter  your  father  received  from 
General  Taylor,  as,  perhaps,  you  might 
draw  on  him  without  knowing  his  payment 
was  intended  to  be  made  you  so  soon. 
Let  me  know  when  you  propose  leaving 
Philadelphia  and  your  route,  that  I  may 
send  you  £ome  commissions.     Adieu,  my 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 6/ 

dear  boy.      Your  father  joins  me  in  affec- 
tionate wishes  for  you.     Your 

Mother. 

to  payne  todd,  esq. 

MoxTPELiER,  December  2,  1824. 
I  have  received  yours,  my  dearest  Payne, 
of  the  23d  and  24th  of  November,  and  was 
impatient  to  answer  them  yesterday,  —  the 
day  of  their  reaching  me,  —  but  owing  to 
the  winter  arrangement  for  the  mail,  no 
post  leaves  this  until  to-morrow  morning. 
Mr.  Clay  inquired  affectionately  after  you ; 
he  with  two  members  of  Congress  have 
been  passing  several  days  with  us.  Every 
one  inquires  after  you ;  but,  my  dear  son, 
it  seems  to  be  the  wonder  of  them  all  that 
you  should  stay  away  from  us  for  so  long 
a  time  !  and  now  I  am  ashamed  to  tell, 
when  asked,  how  long  my  only  child  has 
been  absent  from  the  home  of  his  mother. 
Your  father  and  I  entreat  you  to  come  to 
us ;  to  arrange  your  business  with  those 
concerned,  so  that  you  may  return  to  them 
when  necessary,  and  let  us  see  you  here 
as  soon  as  possible  with  your  interest  and 
convenience.  Your  father  thinks  as  I  do, 
that  it  would  be  best  for  your  reputation 


1 68  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

and  happiness,  as  well  as  ours,  that  you 
should  consult  your  parents  on  subjects  of 
deep  account  to  you,  and  that  you  would 
find  it  so  on  returning  to  Philadelphia  at 
the  appointed  time,  which  shall  be  when- 
ever you  wish  it.  I  have  said  in  my  late 
letters,  as  well  as  this,  all  that  I  thought 
sufficient  to  influence  you.  I  must  now 
put  my  trust  in  God  alone  !  .  .  . 

I  can  add  no  news  that  is  likely  to  inter- 
est you,  except  about  poor  Judge  Todd, 
who  is  very  ill ;  and  that  Ellen  Randolph 
is  to  be  married  to  Mr.  Coolidge.  We 
should  rejoice  in  any  occurrence  that 
would  bring  you  speedily  to  our  arms,  who 
love  you  with  inexpressible  tenderness  and 
constancy.     Your  own  Mother. 

TO    MRS.    MADISON    FROM    MRS.    PHCEBE 
MORRIS. 

Washington,  Jatiuary  19,  1824. 
My  DEAREST  Mrs.  Madison,  —  I  have 
been  in  Washington  about  a  fortnight, 
where  everything  reminds  me  of  you  ;  but 
alas  !  sometimes  painfully,  for  so  many 
scenes  of  joy  and  sorrow  have  passed  since 
the  happy  period  of  my  early  youth,  which 
was  rendered  more  joyous  by  your  protect- 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 69 

ing  care.  We  are  very  comfortably  estab- 
lished together  at  the  "six  buildings."  I 
often  think  of  you  and  my  dear  Mr.  Madi- 
son alone  at  Montpeher,  for  you  have  told 
me  that  there  is  not  so  much  visiting  in 
winter.  I  know  all  your  motions  and  ways 
so  well,  that  at  any  hour  of  the  day  I  can 
represent  to  myself  what  you  are  doing. 
What  do  you  think  of  the  probability  of 
having  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette  for  a 
visit,  for  surely  Montpelier  will  be  the  first 
place  to  fly  to,  when  he  comes  to  the 
United  States.  The  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  says  he  shall  have  one  of  the  finest 
and  best  manned  vessels  in  the  service  to 
convey  him  hither,  if  Mitchell's  resolution 
is  carried,  and  he  wishes  to  come,  which 
does  not  appear  as  yet  quite  decided. 

Mrs.  Monroe  is  really  going  to  have  a 
drawing-room  on  Wednesday.  You  have 
no  doubt  seen  the  description  of  Mrs. 
Hays's  personal  elegance  of  deportment 
and  costume  in  the  papers.  We  all  at- 
tended Mrs.  Adams's  reception  on  the  8th, 
and  it  was  really  a  very  brilliant  party, 
and  admirably  well  arranged.  The  ladies 
climbed  the  chairs  and  benches  to  see  Gen- 
eral Jackson,  and  Mrs.  Adams  very  grace- 


170  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

fully  took  his  arm,  and  walked  through  the 
apartments  with  him,  which  gratified  the 
general  curiosity. 

It  is  said  there  were  fourteen  hundred 
cards  issued,  and  about  eight  hundred  sup- 
posed to  be  present. 

I  would  like  to  hear  something  of  Miss 
Willis  ;  whenever  I  feel  a  little  romantic, 
and  think  of  some  pure  and  innocent  be- 
ing, sheltered  from  the. storms  of  life,  and 
lovely  in  the  bosom  of  retreat,  my  imagi- 
nation turns  to  that  sweet  and  sympathetic 
girl.  I  beg  you  will  remember  me  to  her 
affectionately,  my  dearest  friend,  also  to 
her  excellent  mother.  How  is  your  mother, 
Mrs.  Madison  }  I  hope  she  is  as  bright 
and  active  as  ever :  give  my  love  and  re- 
spectful admiration  to  her.  Adieu,  my 
dearest  and  best  friend  ;  believe  me,  as 
ever,  Your  own  affectionate 

Phcebe  Morris. 

to  mrs.  andrew  stevenson. 

MONTPELIER,  1826. 

I  have  received  by  post  just  now,  my 
ever  dear  cousin,  your  welcome  letter,  and 
cannot  express  my  anxiety  to  embrace  you 
once  more ;  but  a  spell  rests  upon  me,  and 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  171 

withholds  me  from  those  I  love  most  in 
this  world ;  not  a  mile  can  I  go  from 
home  ;  and  in  no  way  can  I  account  for  it, 
but  that  my  husband  is  fixed  here,  and 
hates  to  have  me  leave  him.  This  is  the 
third  winter  in  which  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the  arrangement  of  papers,  and  the  busi- 
ness seems  to  accumulate  as  he  proceeds, 
so  that  it  might  outlast  my  patience,  and 
yet  I  cannot  press  him  to  forsake  a  duty 
so  important,  or  find  it  in  my  heart  to 
leave  him  during  its  fulfillment.  We  very 
often  speak  of  you,  and  the  many  causes 
of  our  admiration  for  you,  concluding,  by 
assuring  one  another,  that  if  we  could  leave 
home  this  winter,  it  should  be  only  to  visit 
you  and  Mr.  Stevenson.  Allow  us,  then, 
my  dear,  to  retain  the  privilege  you  so 
kindly  give  us,  of  our  rooms,  where  you 
shall  some  day  see  us. 

This  fall  I  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving 
a  visit  from  Mrs.  Randolph,  her  sister,  and 
Ellen ;  they  told  me  you  had  been  indis- 
posed, and  from  your  silence,  I  feared  you 
had  not  recovered.  I  receive  letters  every 
week  from  my  sister  Anna  ;  she  is  in  a 
round  of  pleasant  society,  and  though  de- 
voted as  ever  to  her  children,  takes  time 


1/2  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

to  enjoy  a  good  dance.  Mrs.  Brown,  whom 
you  may  remember,  has  rented  a  house 
near  her,  gives  a  great  many  handsome 
parties.  Mrs.  Crawford,  Mrs.  Adams,  and 
many  others  keep  up  the  fashion  of  dissi- 
pation. Our  love,  dear  cousin,  to  you  and 
yours,  hoping  to  see  you  ere  long. 
Affectionately  yours, 

Dolly  Madison. 

Much  as  she  graced  her  public  station, 
Mrs.  Madison  has  not  been  less  admirable 
in  domestic  life.  Neighborly  and  compan- 
ionable among  her  country  friends,  as  if 
she  had  never  lived  in  a  city  ;  delighting 
in  the  society  of  young  people,  and  pro- 
moting their  pleasure  by  her  participation 
and  enjoyment  of  it;  she  still  proved  her- 
self a  most  affectionate  and  devoted  wife 
during  the  years  of  suffering  before  Mr. 
Madison's  death.  Without  neglecting  the 
duties  of  a  kind  hostess,  a  faithful  friend 
and  relative,  she  soothed,  occupied,  and 
amused  the  tiresome  hours  of  his  long  con- 
finement. 

Never,  in  the  midst  of  a  drawing-room, 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  everything  that 
was  brilliant  and  courtly,  —  the  centre  of 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  173 

attraction,  the  object  of  admiration,  —  never 
was  she  so  interesting,  so  attractive,  as  in 
her  loving  attendance  on  her  venerable 
mother-in-law,  who  said,  "Dolly  is  my 
mother  now,  and  cares  most  tenderly  for 
all  my  wants,"  and  later  on,  in  filUng  the 
same  office  to  her  husband  in  his  declining 
years. 

Monticello  was  about  thirty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  and  in  the  estimate  of  a  Vir- 
ginian, Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr.  Madison 
were  neighbors,  and  visited  frequently,  over 
roads  so  bad  that  outriders  were  brought 
into  requisition  at  times  to  hold  up  the 
coach. 

TO    ANNA. 

Montpelier,  July  5,  1820. 

I  have  just  received  yours,  dearest  Anna, 
and  rejoice  that  you  are  well  and  have 
your  friends  about  you.  Yesterday  we  had 
ninety  persons  to  dine  with  us  at  one  ta- 
ble, —  put  up  on  the  lawn,  under  a  thick 
arbor.  The  dinner  was  profuse  and  good, 
and  the  company  very  orderly.  Many  of 
them  were  old  acquaintance  of  yours,  and 
among  them  the  two  Barbours. 

We  had  no  ladies  except  mother  Madi- 
son, Mrs.  Macon,  and  Nelly  Willis  ;  the 


1/4  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

day  was  cool  and  pleasant ;  half  a  dozen 
only  stayed  all  night  with  us,  and  they  are 
now  about  to  depart.  Colonel  Monroe's 
letter  this  morning  announces  the  advent 
of  the  French  Minister,  and  we  shall  ex- 
pect him  this  evening,  or  perhaps  sooner. 
I  am  less  worried  here  with  an  hundred 
visitors  than  with  twenty-five  in  Washing- 
ton, —  this  summer  especially.  I  wish, 
dearest,  you  had  just  such  a  country  home 
as  this.  I  truly  believe  it  is  the  happiest 
and  most  true  life,  and  would  be  so  good 
for  you  and  the  dear  children. 

Always  your  devoted  sister, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 

Her  nieces  and  nephews,  children  of  the 
favorite  sister,  Anna,  were  a  great  delight 
and  pleasure  to  Mrs.  Madison,  and  she 
kept  up  a  constant  correspondence  with 
them,  particularly  with  Mary,  and  Dolly 
her  namesake,  from  their  babyhood. 

TO    HER    NIECE,    MARY    CUTTS. 

MONTPELIER,  July  30,  1826. 

Your  letter,  my  dearest  niece,  with  the 
one  before  it,  came  quite  safely,  for  which 
I  return  many  thanks  and  kisses.    I  rejoice 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  1 75 

too,  dear  Dolly,  to  see  how  well  you  write 
and  express  yourself,  and  am  as  proud  of 
all  your  acquirements  as  if  you  were  my 
own  daughter.  I  trust  you  will  yet  be 
with  me  this  summer,  when  I  shall  see 
your  improvement  in  person  also,  and  en- 
joy the  sweet  assurance  of  your  affection. 
Mary  Lee  and  her  husband  have  been  in- 
disposed, but  are  better.  They  say  often 
they  hope  you  will  come  with  your  dear 
mother,  as  do  all  your  relatives  and  friends 
in  this  quarter.  The  old  lady,  —  even  the 
negroes,  young  and  old,  want  to  see  you, 
dear. 

We  had  old  Mr.  Patterson  and  his  son 
Edward  from  Baltimore  to  stay  with  us 
several  days,  and  they  tell  me  that  Mad- 
ame Bonaparte  is  still  in  France,  and  her 
son  gone  to  Rome  to  visit  his  father.  Mr. 
Monroe  left  us  yesterday,  disappointed  in 
his  views  of  raising  money  from  his  land. 
Mr.  B.  continued  on  his  way  to  the  Springs, 
and  I  was  disappointed  at  not  sending  a 
packet  to  you,  inclosing  the  flounce  which 
I  wanted  you  to  wear,  worked  by  me  long 
ago. 

I  received  by  the  last  post  a  letter  from 
your   cousin    Payne,    at   New   York ;    he 


176  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

writes  in  fine  health  and  spirits,  and  says 
he  will  be  detained  only  a  few  weeks 
longer  in  that  city.  I  sincerely  hope  to 
see  him  soon,  though  it  is  impossible  for 
him  to  prefer  Virginia  to  the  North.  If  I 
were  in  Washington  with  you  I  know  I 
could  not  conform  to  the  formal  rules  of 
visiting  they  now  have,  but  would  disgrace 
myself  by  rushing  about  among  my  friends 
at  all  hours.  Here  I  find  it  most  agreeable 
to  stay  at  home,  everything  around  me  is 
so  beautiful.  Our  garden  promises  grapes 
and  figs  in  abundance,  but  I  shall  not  en- 
joy them  unless  your  mamma  comes,  and 
brings  you  to  help  us  with  them ;  tell  the 
boys  they  must  come  too.  Alas  !  poor  Wal- 
ter, away  at  sea  !  I  can  scarcely  trust  my- 
self to  think  of  him,  —  his  image  fills  my 
eyes  with  tears. 

Adieu,  and  believe  me  always  your  ten- 
der mother  and  aunt, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 

P.  S.  We  are  very  old-fashioned  here. 
Can  you  send  me  a  paper  pattern  of  the 
present  sleeve,  and  describe  the  width  of 
dress  and  waist ;  also  how  turbans  are 
pinned  up,  bonnets  worn,  as  well  as  how 
to  behave  in  the  fashion  ? 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  lyj 

TO    DOLLY. 
MoNTPELiER,  March  lo,  1830. 

I  am  now  seated,  pen  in  hand,  my  sweet 
niece,  to  write  you,  though  not  in  the  hu- 
mor for  the  success  I  desire  in  producing 
an  amusing  letter  such  as  mine  should  be 
in  answer  to  yours. 

Imagine,  if  you  can,  a  greater  trial  to  the 
patience  of  us  farmers  than  the  destruc- 
tion of  a  radiant  patch  of  green  peas  by 
frost !  It  came  last  night  on  the  skirts  of 
a  storm  ;  and  while  I  was  lamenting  that 
our  dear  midshipman,  Walter,  should  ever 
be  exposed  to  such  winds,  my  young  adven- 
turers at  home  were  completely  wrecked 
off  their  m^oorings  !  But  away  with  com- 
plaints, other  patches  equally  radiant  will 
arise,  and  I  will  mourn  no  longer  over  a 
mess  of  peas  or  pottage,  but  would  rather 
meet  you  somewhere,  or  hear  about  your 
last  party.  I  had,  indeed,  my  ^' qiiaritiim 
sufficif  of  gayety  in  Richmond,  but  what 
I  enjoyed  most  was  the  quiet  but  thorough 
hospitality  of  the  inhabitants  among  whom 
I  should  like  to  spend  my  winters.  Wash- 
ington, if  my  old  friends  were  still  there, 
would  no  doubt  be  my  preference  ;  but  I 
12 


178  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

confess  I  do  not  admire  contention  in  any 
form,  either  political  or  civil.  In  my  quiet 
retreat  I  like  to  hear  of  what  is  going  on, 
and  therefore  hope,  my  dear,  you  will  not 
be  timid  in  telling  me,  though  your  state- 
ments shall  be  seen  by  no  one  else.  I  wish 
that  circumstances  would  have  permitted 
you  to  have  accepted  Mr.  V.  B.'s  invita- 
tion, but  I  cannot  doubt  you  had  a  good 
reason  for  declining.  By  the  bye,  do  you 
ever  get  hold  of  a  clever  novel,  new  or  old, 
that  you  could  send  me  t  I  bought  Coop- 
er's last,  but  did  not  care  for  it,  because 
the  story  was  so  full  of  horrors. 

Adieu,  my  dearest  Dolly,  think  of  me  as 
your  own  friend  as  well  as  aunt,  and  write 
as  often  as  you  can  to 

Yours  affectionately, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 

TO  DOLLY. 
MoNTPELiER,  Nove7nber,  1830. 
Dearest  Ntece,  —  I  have  been  so  much 
engaged  in  the  book  you  kindly  sent  by 
the  last  post,  that  I  have  scarcely  left  my- 
self time  to  thank  you  for  it  by  this.  I 
will,  however,  take  an  early  opportunity  to 
show  my  gratitude  by  a  longer  letter. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  1 79 

If  you  can  send  me  the  "  Romance  of 
History  "  I  will  be  very  glad,  and  will  make 
proper  dispatch  in  the  perusal  of  it.  Gov- 
ernor Barbour  is  here  and  will  stay  some 
time.  Philippa  does  not  expect  to  see 
Washington  again  for  some  time,  and  re- 
grets it  much.  Her  father  is  now  a  judge 
and  she  a  recluse.  I  find  you  have  no  idea 
yet  of  the  improvement  love  can  make,  or 
you  would  not  surmise  that  another  must 
have  had  to  do  the  courting  for  John.  Af- 
ter he  became  acquainted  with  S.  Carter, 
his  tongue  twanged  as  if  sent  from  a  bow ! 
Last  winter  when  I  witnessed  his  attentions 
to  her,  and  heard  him  talk  and  laugh  like 
Ganymede,  I  knew  it  was  Cupid's  act,  by 
the  color.  She  is  a  sweet  girl  and  I  hope 
you  will  see  her  before  long,  you  and  my 
dear  Mary. 

Ever  your  affectionate  aunt, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 

TO    MARY. 
MoNTPELiER,  Jaiiuary  5,  183 1. 
Dearest    Mary,  —  Yours,   ending   on 
the  2d  of  January,  came  to  relieve  my  op- 
pressed heart  with  the  tidings  of  your  be- 
loved mother's  recovery  from  that  extreme 


l8o  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

illness,  under  which  I  knew  or  feared  she 
was  laboring. 

I  had  written  a  week  ago  this  day  to 
Dolly  and  one  to  you,  inclosed  to  your 
father,  which  could  hardly  have  reached 
you,  or  you  would  have  yielded  to  my 
pleadings  for  that  single  line  by  every  post 
which  would  tell  me  your  mamma  is  better 
and  has  a  prospect  of  regaining  her  health. 
To  secure  this,  my  dearest  girls,  you  must 
help  her  in  every  way  you  can,  keep  her 
room  quiet,  and  herself  free  from  the 
slightest  agitation  or  uneasiness.  The  ner- 
vousness of  which  Dr.  Sim  speaks  must 
be  attended  to  with  all  your  delicacy  of 
thought  and  conduct  ;  her  sufferings  have 
caused  it,  and  now,  no  one  should  approach 
her  who  is  not  sensible  of  the  importance 
of  smiles  and  comfort  to  one  who  has  been 
so  near  the  grave.  May  Heaven  sustain 
and  support  her  for  many  years  to  come  to 
bless  you  with  her  protecting  love. 

I  inclose  '*  The  Oxonians,"  which  I  could 
not  read,  while  my  heart  was  oppressed  by 
fears  for  you  all.  We  are  well  and  send 
love.  Your  own  aunt, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  i8l 

TO   MARY. 
MoNTPELiER,  September  i8,  1831. 
My  dearest  Mary,  —  I  hasten  to  an- 
swer your  nice  letter  in  order  to  obtain 
your  forgiveness  about  the  mislaid  letter ; 
I  fear  Beckey  may  have  used  it  to  kindle 
the  fire  she  was  so  anxious  about  for  her 
master,  and  as  far  as  I  can  discover  col- 
lected everything  in  the  way  of  paper  on 
my  table  this  morning.     It  was   so  short 
I  hope  you  can  recollect  enough  of  it  to 
write   it    again    for    your    amiable    corre- 
spondent, to  whom  give  my  assurance  of 
love.     I  am  so  grieved  that  your  mamma 
is   not   well,   but   trust   it   proceeds   from 
fatigue.     Do  persuade   her   to   go   to  see 
Mrs.  B.,  and  not  to  worry  about  household 
cares.    I  hope  the  alarm  of  "insurrections" 
is  over  in  the  city,  though  every  one  should 
be  on  guard  after  this.     I  am  quiet,  hear- 
ing little    about   it,   and   quite  helpless  if 
in  danger.     Tell  Mr.  Trist  I  send  him  a 
few  leaves,  if  not  the  whole  flower,  of  his 
dear  lady   (Cape  Jessamine),  who  is    now 
blooming,    when    all    her   contemporaries 
have  changed  color  and  are  passing  away, 
emblematic  of    her  good   disposition  and 


1 82  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

heart,  whose  fragrance  will  last  until  the 
end. 

Your  Uncle  Madison  still  wears  the 
bead  ring  you  placed  on  his  finger,  and  I 
see  him  look  at  it  every  now  and  then 
without  saying  anything. 

My  eyes  are  troubling  me,  still  I  write 
on  a  great  deal  of  nonsense.  To-morrow 
I  expect  a  large  party  from  Richmond  and 
the  lower  country  to  stay  with  us.  I  feel 
very  grateful  to  all  those  ladies  who  are 
so  kind  to  your  mother  while  she  is  ailing, 
and  could  love  the  blackest  Indian  who 
was  good  to  her ;  indeed,  it  seems  to  me 
I  would  like  to  bribe  the  whole  world  to 
make  her  well.  Payne  is  on  the  wing 
again  with  three  gentlemen  in  his  train. 

Adieu,  dearest  niece.     Ever  yours, 

Dolly  Madison. 

TO  MARY. 
MONTPELIER,  December^  1831. 
My  own  dear  Niece,  —  I  have  been 
the  most  disconsolate  of  persons  these 
three  or  four  days,  and  all  because  of  a 
violent  toothache.  The  book  you  mention 
I  will  keep  unless  you  say  no,  while  I  read 
the  second  volume,  and  send  them  both  to 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 83 

you  by  Walter,  who  is  summoned  to  Phila- 
delphia on  the  first  Monday  in  January, 
and  will  stop  in  Washington  to  see  you. 

In  my  last  I  informed  you  that  Walter 
and  Payne  had  been  detained  abroad  by 
bad  weather,  but  now  they  are  safe  and 
sound  with  us,  and  we  have  played  chess 
and  talked  together  all  this  time  without 
the  appearance  of  ennui.  Thank  my  dear 
Dolly  for  her  kind  letter  ;  and  I  rejoice 
in  her  recovery,  which  is  due  in  a  great 
measure  to  the  judicious  nursing  of  a  good 
mother. 

I  hope  you  will  soon  be  going  to  parties, 
and  give  me  a  detailed  account  of  what  is 
going  forward  amongst  the  various  charac- 
ters in  Washington. 

I  have  so  long  been  confined  by  the  side 
of  my  dear  sick  husband,  never  seeing  or 
hearing  outside  of  his  room,  that  I  make  a 
dull  correspondent. 

Your  uncle  is  better  now  than  he  was 
three  days  ago,  and  I  trust  will  continue  to 
mend,  but  his  poor  hands  are  still  sore, 
and  so  swollen  as  to  be  almost  useless,  and 
so  I  lend  him  mine.  The  music -box  is 
playing  beside  me,  and  seems  well  adapted 
to  solitude,  as  I  look  out  at  our  mountains, 


1 84  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

white  with  snow,  and  the  winter's  wind 
sounding  loud  and  cold.  I  hope  you  will 
take  more  than  usual  care  of  yourself 
this  weather,  and  wish  I  could  cover  you 
with  furs  ;  but  ah !  if  I  dare  indulge  in 
wishes  — 

Good  night,  my  love.     Your  fond  aunt, 
Dolly  Madison. 

to  her  sister  anna. 

MONTPELIER,  Allg2lSt  2,  1 832. 

Beloved  Sister  Anna,  —  Mrs.  Mason 
has  just  written  to  me  to  say  you  are  a 
little  better,  and  those  dear  daughters  of 
yours,  Mary  and  Dolly,  whom  I  shall  ever 
feel  are  my  own  children,  have  often  con- 
soled me  by  their  letters  since  you  were 
unable  to  write.  Your  husband  and  boys 
too  have  written  frequently,  —  all  in  that 
affectionate  feeling  towards  you  which 
manifested  their  deep  love ;  and  although 
my  heart  is  sad  within  me,  because  I  can- 
not see  or  assist  you  in  your  long  and  pain- 
ful sickness,  yet  am  I  very  thankful  to  the 
Almighty  for  his  favors  in  bestowing  such 
devoted  friends  as  have  surrounded  your 
pillow. 

My  dear  husband  is  recovering,  I  hope. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 85 

slowly,  though  still  confined  to  his  bed. 
He  speaks  of  you  to  me  every  day  with 
all  the  partiality  and  love  of  a  tender 
brother,  and  ardently  hopes  that  we  may 
be  long  spared  to  each  other. 

Mrs.  Clay  and  her  husband  did  not  call 
to  see  me  as  we  expected.  They  under- 
stood that  General  Jackson  was  at  Mont- 
pelier  and  passed  on  to  Governor  Barbour's. 
The  next  day  Mr.  Clay  came  for  a  few 
hours,  but  did  not  meet  the  President  here. 
I  regretted  much  not  seeing  Mrs.  Clay,  as 
she  would  have  talked  to  me  of  you. 

Do,  dear  sister,  strive  to  get  well  and 
strong  for  my  sake  and  your  children's  ; 
what  should  we  do  without  you  !  As  soon 
as  my  eyes  are  well  I  will  write  to  dear 
Mrs.  B.  In  the  mean  time  offer  her  my 
love  and  thanks  for  all  her  goodness  to  you. 

Adieu,  my  dear,  ever  and  always. 
Your  loving  sister, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 

Two  days  after  this  letter  Mrs.  Madison 
received  the  news  of  her  sister's  death, 
and  though  in  a  measure  prepared  for  it, 
the  blow  seemed  to  fall  so  heavily  upon 
her  that  she  aged  very  much   in  a  week; 


1 86  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

her  friends  said  that  for  the  first  time  she 
lost  her  bright  cheerfulness,  and  from  that 
day  until  the  second  shock  came  upon 
her  of  Mr.  Madison's  death,  everything 
seemed  to  be  an  effort. 

MONTPELIER,   Ang7lSt  ^,  1832. 

Dear  Brother,  —  The  heart  of  your 
miserable  sister  mourns  with  you  and  for 
your  dear  children. 

Come  to  us  as  soon  as  you  can,  and 
bring  them  all  with  you  ;  I  am  as  deeply 
interested  in  them  as  if  they  were  my 
own.  Where  are  her  remains  t  I  will  my- 
self write  my  gratitude  to  the  kind  friends 
who  were  privileged  to  do  what  I  could  not 
for  my  lamented  sister. 

Mr.  Madison  partakes  in  our  sorrows, 
and  in  my  wish  to  see  you  all  here.  Show 
this  to  Dolly  and  Mary,  please,  as  I  can- 
not write  to  them  at  this  moment.  Yours 
came  yesterday. 

Affectionately  your  sister, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 

TO    MARY. 
MONTPELIER,  ^?/^?^J-/  I,  1833. 

May  your  fortune,  dearest  Mary,  be  even 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 87 

better  than  the  sybil's  predictions.  There 
is  one  secret,  however,  she  did  not  tell  you, 
and  that  is  the  power  we  all  have  in  form- 
ing our  own  destinies. 

We  must  press  on  that  intricate  path 
leading  to  perfection  and  happiness,  by  do- 
ing all  that  is  good  and  noble,  before  we 
can  be  taken  under  the  silver  wing  of  our 
rewarding  angel ;  this  I  feel  sure  you  will 
aim  at,  and  succeed  beyond  doubt.  It  will 
not  be  necessary,  dear  child,  to  recapitu- 
late all  the  virtues  important  to  render  us 
worthy  and  deserving  of  good  fortune,  be- 
cause you  know  them  well. 

I  received  your  last  letter  just  a  week 
after  the  date  on  the  inside,  though  the 
envelope  was  marked  for  the  26th. 

I  hope  the  book  I  sent  has  been  re- 
ceived, and  that  ere  this  you  are  ready  to 
go  on  your  visit  to  Cousin  William.  Pre- 
sent me  affectionately  to  him  and  the 
girls  ;  I  should  delight  in  seeing  them  all. 
Your  Uncle  Madison  mends  in  his  health, 
but  has  many  relapses.  We  have  had  more 
company  this  summer  than  I  can  enumer- 
ate, and  though  I  enjoy  it,  my  health  has 
not  been  so  good  as  usual ;  this  morning 
I  was  not  able  to  breakfast  with  my  eight 


1 88  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

guests,  but  went  for  a  drive  with  my  dear 
husband  and  shall  join  them  at  dinner. 
Your  affectionate  aunt, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 

TO    DOLLY. 
MONTPELIER,  Septe7nber  <^^  1833. 

It  has  seemed  to  me,  my  dearest  Dolly, 
that  I  should  never  be  able  to  write  you  a 
letter  on  account  of  a  stream  of  people 
coming  and  going,  until  I  fear  I  am  quite 
nervous.  There  is  not  much  of  interest  to 
tell  you.  Our  neighborhood  is  as  you  left 
it  ;  many  lowlanders  have  been  among  us, 
and  Mrs.  Needham*  Washington  is  now 
with  Mrs.  Cole. 

Do  you  know,  my  dear,  that  I  was  as 
glad  to  get  a  letter  from  you  yesterday  as 
I  was  to  receive  a  present  of  a  pair  of 
the  celebrated  English  Holkim  calves,  sent 
me  by  Mr.  Patterson,  of  Baltimore.  Your 
Uncle  Madison  is  better,  and  rides  out 
every  day,  three  or  four  miles,  and  these 
are  the  only  excursions  I  have  taken  since 
you  left  us.  Mr.  Longacre  was  here  for 
some  days  to  take  your  uncle's  likeness 
for  his  gallery,  and  I  think  succeeded  very 
well. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 89 

I  do  not  know  if  I  wrote  you  that  Mr. 
Livingstone  sent  me  a  fine  bust  of  himself 
as  a  remembrance,  before  sailing,  and  I 
prize  it  very  much.  A  young  artist  named 
Chapman  is  coming  to  take  your  uncle's 
portrait ;  we  also  expect  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rives,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson,  and  many 
others,  on  their  way  from  the  White  Sul- 
phur Springs.  Payne  is  at  home  and  im- 
proving his  knowledge  of  geology. 
Ever  your  own  aunt, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 

TO  MARY. 
MoNTPELiER,  December  2,  1834. 
There  has  been  a  spell  upon  my  fingers 
for  a  long  time,  dearest  niece,  and  even 
now  there  rests  one  on  my  eyes  ;  still  I 
would  commune  with  you,  whom  I  love  so 
much,  and  tell  you  that  your  letters  are  all 
received,  and  my  spirits  rising  as  I  peruse 
them,  because  my  hopes  are  renewed  for 
dear  Walter  in  your  amiable  efforts  to  em- 
bark him  again  on  the  waves  of  fortune. 
I  rejoice  at  the  pleasant  visit  you  made  to 
Kalorama  with  dear  Dolche.  I  was  anx- 
ious to  write  and  tell  you  of  our  visit  from 
Miss   Martineau,   and   how   much  we  en- 


1 90  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

joyed  her  enlightened  conversation  and 
unassuming  manners.  We  also  liked  her 
lively  little  friend,  ]Miss  Jeffries.  Ah  me  ! 
my  eyes  are  even  now  so  troublesome  that 
I  must  hasten  to  say  as  much  as  I  can  in  a 
short  space  of  time,  hoping  to  do  more 
when  they  are  better. 

I  have  no  idea  of  the  new  dance  you 
speak  of,  or  its  motions,  but  approve  of 
your  declining  to  learn  it,  if  disapproved 
of  by  society.  Our  sex  are  ever  losers, 
when  they  stem  the  torrent  of  public  opin- 
ion. Baron  K.'s  parties  must  be  piquant 
and  agreeable,  but  if  Sir  Charies  Vaughn 
leaves  what  will  you  all  do } 

Your  uncle  is  still  about  the  same,  but  I 
hope  as  the  season  advances  he  will  gain 
strength  again.  With  much  love  to  all  the 
dear  ones,         Always  your  own  aunt, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 

TO   PAYNE   TODD. 

MONTPELIER,  Jtlly  20,  1834. 

Yours,  dearest,  promising  to  write  me 
again,  came  safely,  and  I  was  glad  to  hear 
mine,  with  the  inclosure,  had  reached  you. 
You  did  not  tell  me  whether  you  had  been 
successful  in  your  collections.     If  not,  you 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 91 

will  want  supplies  proportioned  to  your 
detention  ;  I  am  anxious  that  you  should 
have  them,  and  you  know  the  little  I  have 
in  my  power  is  at  your  command,  though 
but  ''a  drop  in  the  bucket."  You  will  tell 
me  when  you  intend  to  return,  that  I  may 
have  the  pleasure  of  expecting  you. 

Messrs.  Patton  and  Rives  dined  with  us 
on  the  1 2th;  they  inquired  for  you,  and 
said  they  had  hoped  to  see  you  at  the 
party  as  a  "Jackson  man."  General  Mad- 
ison came  with  them,  looking  well  and 
happy.  Mr.  Madison  is  better,  though 
very  ill  a  few  days  since,  and  I  now  hope 
he  will  soon  be  well  enough  for  me  to  leave 
him  on  an  expedition  to  the  Court  House. 
It  would  be  quite  an  event  for  me  to  go 
there,  five  miles  from  home.  Our  last  to- 
bacco was  a  failure  ;  it  sold  at  seven  when 
seventeen  was  expected ;  so  it  goes  with 
planters.  Dolly  and  Mary  wrote  me  yes- 
terday that  you  were  very  popular  in 
Washington,  and  I  should  like  to  be  with 
you  to  witness  it  —  the  respect  and  love 
shown  to  my  son  would  be  the  highest 
gratification  the  world  could  bestow  upon 
me.  I  think  to  inclose  this  to  my  brother 
to  deliver,  in  case  of  your  having  left,  to 


192  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

keep  it  for  you,  or  return  when  you  are 
at  home,  as  I  shall  inclose.  .  .  .  We  have 
seen  but  few  strangers  since  you  left  home. 
Mr.  Burney,  of  Baltimore,  called  on  his  way 
to  the  Springs,  and  Mr.  Randall,  of  Phila- 
delphia, with  his  daughters  and  niece.  He 
said,  by  the  way,  that  he  had  caught  a 
glimpse  of  you  at  the  station,  but  lost  sight 
of  you  again,  as  he  was  busy  with  his  bag- 
gage. 

I  suppose  you  saw  Madame  Serurier  be- 
fore she  went  on  her  travels.  If  you  can 
see  Mrs.  Lear,  tell  her  she  must  come 
from  the  Springs  to  visit  me.  And  now 
adieu,  my  dear  son  ;  may  Heaven  pre- 
serve and  protect  you,  prays 

Your  mother,       Dolly  P.  Madison. 

TO    DOLLY. 
MONTPELIER,  May  II,  1835. 

Dearest  Dolly,  —  Payne  met  a  friend 
(Mr.  H.)  of  yours  yesterday  at  Orange 
Court  House,  and  brought  him  home  to 
dinner,  with  his  two  cousins.  We  were 
much  pleased  with  his  society,  as  well  as 
the  account  he  gave  of  you  and  Mary.  He 
told  me  of  your  pleasant  party,  and  how 
much  he  admired  and  regarded  you  both, 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  193 

but  not  half  as  much  about  you  as  I  want 
to  know  ;  indeed,  how  could  he,  when  my 
love  for  you  makes  me  wish  to  trace  your 
every  word  and  deed  throughout  the  year. 
He  gave  me  your  letter,  and  told  us  about 
all  the  great  personages  now  with  you ; 
but  what  was  my  grief  to  receive  only  one 
music-box  !  the  box  I  prized  —  the  one  you 
and  Mary  gave  me  —  was  missing  !  I  will 
hope,  however,  that  it  was  left  with  you, 
and  I  shall  still  hear  it  in  these  deep 
shades. 

Your  inquiries  after  your  uncle,  and  how 
we  pass  our  time,  can  be  more  accurately 
answered.  My  days  are  devoted  to  nurs- 
ing and  comforting  my  sick  patient,  who 
walks  only  from  the  bed  in  which  he  break- 
fasts to  another,  in  the  little  room  in  which 
you  left  him  ;  he  is  a  little  better,  but  not 
well  enough  to  get  into  a  carriage  to  drive 
to  the  Springs,  which  I  fondly  hoped  he 
might  do.  I  expect  Mrs.  Randolph,  Sep- 
timia,  and  two  Misses  Jefferson  Randolph 
to-morrow,  to  pass  a  few  days.  My  love 
to  Dolly  and  Richard,  and  accept  my  apol- 
ogy for  this  scrawl. 

Your  own  and  always, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 
^  13 


194  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

TO  MARY. 
MONTPELIER,  October -^i,  1835. 
I  was  delighted  to  receive  your  last  let- 
ter, my  dearest  Mary,  as  I  am  always,  and 
sorry  for  your  disappointment  at  not  see- 
ing Thomas  and  his  wife.  You  inquire 
if  Count  d'Orsay  has  been  here  ?  Yes, 
he  spent  nearly  three  weeks  with  us,  off 
and  on,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  himself  very 
much.  He  is  a  great  sportsman,  and  would 
borrow  Payne's  summer  clothes,  and  go 
forth,  returning  as  ragged  as  bushes  and 
mire  could  make  him,  rest  for  several 
days,  and  then  off  again,  tumbling  into  the 
river,  losing  his  way  —  and  yet  come  home 
laughing  at  his  adventures.  We  found 
him  an  elegant  young  man,  sensible  and 
well-informed,  except  on  the  intricacies  of 
our  woods.  I  forget,  now,  who  introduced 
him  ;  I  think  General  Dearborn  sent  a  let- 
ter of  introduction.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steven- 
son stayed  a  week  with  me,  but  I  have  not 
yet  heard  from  Mrs.  Grimes  and  her  chil- 
dren, of  their  time  for  coming.  I  must 
tell  you  that  my  English  beauty  has  given 
me  a  calf  as  pretty  as  herself ;  tell  this  to 
dear  Dolly  that  she  may  be  glad  with  me. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 95 

Have  you  any  amusing  books,  no  matter 
how  old,  to  lend  me  ?  You  see  in  what 
haste  I  write  ;  tell  me  everything  that  you 
are  doing,  dear  girls  ;  my  heart  follows  you 
all  the  time,  in  spite  of  my  engrossing 
family.  It  is  now  late  at  night,  and  my 
eyes  close.  Dear  love  to  you  all.  Good- 
night, and  sweet  dreams  !       Your  aunt 

Dolly. 

to  james  madison. 

By  Edward  Everett. 

Happy  the  sage  whose  active  race  is  run, 
His  warfare  ended,  and  his  labor  done. 
Him  Heaven  assigns,  ere  yet  he  's  called  away, 
The  peaceful  evening  of  an  honored  day. 
For  him  youth's  eager  appetite  is  o'er, 
Which,   ever    nourished,    asks   for   something 

more. 
No  more  ambitious  tasks,  each  toilsome  hour. 
To  gain  some  loftier  eminence  of  power. 
Nor  friends,  nor  party,  now  his  strength  con- 
trol. 
And  press  a  nation's  troubles  on  his  soul. 
To  him  the  sweets  of  life  alone  remain, 
Without  its  care,  its  labor,  and  its  pain. 
Long  may  they  thus  remain,  and  late  the  day 
When  that   strong   sun  shall  shed  its  parting 
ray. 


196  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

Warm,   bright,    and   genial,    was   its   morning 

hour, 
And  high  and  brilliant  was  its  noon  of  power. 
Long  may  its  evening  beams  serenely  shine, 
While  grateful  millions  bless  its  slow  decline  ; 
Till  gracious  Heaven  again  shall  bid  it  rise, 
And  shine  to  set  no  more,  in  purer  skies. 
March  21,  1830. 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  1 9/ 


CHAPTER  XII. 

As  Mr.  Madison  grew  weaker,  and  more 
crippled  from  rheumatism,  they  were 
obliged  in  a  measure  to  close  their  hospi- 
table doors.  Mrs.  Madison's  whole  time 
and  thoughts  were  given  to  the  invalid, 
and  she  writes  to  an  old  friend  :  ''  I  never 
leave  my  husband  more  than  a  few  min- 
utes at  a  time,  and  have  not  left  the  incis- 
ure around  my  house  for  eight  months,  on 
account  of  his  continued  indisposition,  of 
which  friends  at  a  distance  have  received 
but  too  favorable  reports.  Our  physi- 
cians have  advised  the  Warm  Springs,  and 
we  hoped  to  have  taken  him  there;  but 
as  he  could  not  travel  unless  conveyed 
in  his  bed,  we  dare  not  think  of  it,  at 
present.  I  can  only  express  the  hope, 
dearest  friend,  that  my  husband  will  be 
well  enough  for  us  to  have  the  gratifica- 
tion of  seeing  you  here  before  the  winter 
throws  it  barriers  between  us.  Nothing 
could  give  me  more  pleasure  than  to  wel- 


1 98  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

come  you,  and  your  daughter.  Indepen- 
dently of  my  own  feelings,  I  must  ever 
love  the  kind  friends  of  my  dear  sister." 

At  eighty-five  years  of  age,  though  much 
reduced  by  disease  and  weakness,  Mr.  Mad- 
ison's mind  was  bright,  and  his  memory 
,good.  Though  a  great  sufferer,  he  rarely 
complained,  and  his  conversation  was  in- 
teresting and  even  lively  until  the  last  few 
days  of  illness. 

The  physicians  were  anxious  to  prolong 
his  life  until  the  Fourth  of  July,  but  he  re- 
fused to  take  the  necessary  stimulants,  and 
died  June  28,  1836,  in  the  full  possession 
of  all  his  faculties  ;  as  serene,  calm,  and 
philosophical  in  his  last  moments,  as  he 
had  been  in  all  the  trying  occasions  of  life. 

Governor  James  Barbour,  a  warm  friend 
and  neighbor,  gives  a  touching  description 
of  his  burial,  where  friends  of  all  classes, 
from  far  and  near,  flocked  to  do  honor  to 
his  memory,  and  the  hundred  slaves,  as 
they  turned  to  leave  the  newly-made  grave, 
could  control  themselves  no  longer,  and 
gave  vent  to  their  lamentations  in  one  vio- 
lent burst  of  grief  that  rent  the  air. 

When  at  last  the  great  bereavement  and 
separation  came  upon  Mrs.  Madison,  she 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  1 99 

did  not  dare  give  way  to  her  grief.  The 
feeling  that  there  was  something  still  to  do 
for  him,  something  that  required  all  her 
energies,  kept  her  up  for  several  months, 
until  the  nervous  strain  produced  its  con- 
sequences, and  her  health  gave  way  so  com- 
pletely, that  during  the  following  autumn 
and  winter  she  was  confined  almost  en- 
tirely to  her  bed.  Left  sole  executrix,  and 
with  the  responsibility  of  the  unpublished 
manuscript  her  husband  had  worked  upon 
so  long  and  so  faithfully  in  her  hands, 
hundreds  of  letters  and  resolutions  com- 
ing in  from  every  side,  expressive  of  grief 
and  sympathy,  there  was  no  time  to  give 
way  to  her  sense  of  utter  loneliness  in  a 
separation  from  one  with  whom  she  had 
lived  so  happily  for  forty  years.  The  re- 
plies were  all  written  by  herself,  and  one 
of  the  first  was  addressed  to  General  Jack- 
son, then  President  of  the  United  States, 
who  inclosed,  with  his  own  letter  of  condo- 
lence, the  Resolutions  of  Congress  on  the 
death  of  Mr.  Madison. 


200  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

TO    GENERAL  JACKSON. 

MONTPELIER,  July  10,   1 836. 

I  received,  dear  sir,  in  due  time  the 
communication  from  Congress,  made  more 
grateful  to  me  by  the  kind  sympathy  which 
accompanied  it. 

The  high  and  just  estimation  of  my  hus- 
band by  my  countrymen  and  friends,  and 
their  generous  participation  in  the  sorrow 
occasioned  by  our  irretrievable  loss,  ex- 
pressed through  its  supreme  authorities 
and  otherwise,  is  the  only  solace  of  which 
my  heart  is  susceptible  on  the  departure  of 
him,  who  had  never  lost  sight  of  that  con- 
sistency, symmetry,  and  beauty  of  charac- 
ter in  all  its  parts,  which  rendered  his  own 
transcendent  as  a  whole  and  worthy  of  the 
best  aspirations. 

I  am  now  preparing  to  execute  the  trust 
his  confidence  reposed  in  me,  that  of  plac- 
ing before  Congress  and  the  world  what 
his  pen  had  prepared  for  their  use,  and 
with  the  importance  of  this  legacy,  I  am 
deeply  impressed. 

With  great  respect  and  friendship, 
Dolly  P.  Madison. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  201 

TO    RICHARD    CUTTS,    ESQ. 

MONTPELIER,  July  5,  1 836. 

I  could  never  doubt  your  sympathy,  dear 
brother,  and  require  it  much  now.      When 
can  you  come  and  see  me  ?     I  hope  it  will 
be  soon,  relying  on  that  hearty  welcome 
always  in  store  for  you,  and  each  one  of 
your  dear  children,  who  have  been  even  as 
my  own.     I  wish  you  would  see  Mr.  Morris 
at  the  Highlands,  and  say  to  him  from  me 
that  his  friendship  is  a  dear  consolation. 
I  prize  his  advice,  and,  as  from  my  early 
and  most  faithful  friend,  will  strive  to  fol- 
low that  contained  in  his  letter  of  the  ist 
as -well  as  any  other  which  he  may  extend 
to  me  when   he  visits  Montpelier.    ...  I 
would  write  more,  dear  Richard,  but  have 
no  power  over  my  confused  and  oppressed 
mind  to  speak  fully  of  the  enduring  good- 
ness of  my  beloved  husband.     He  left  me 
many  pledges  of  his  confidence  and  love  ; 
especially    do    I   value    all    his    writings. 
From  the  proceeds  of  the  first  part  of  the 
"Debates  in  the  Convention,"   I  have  to 
pay  donations  to  several  institutions.     My 
brother  and  son  are  making  a  copy  to  send 
to  England.         Adieu,  with  love, 

Dolly  P.  Madison. 


202  MEMOIRS  AND   LETTERS 

When  Congress  assembled  the  follow- 
ing winter  President  Jackson  sent  a  special 
message,  proposing  the  purchase  of  Mr. 
Madison's  manuscript,  comprising  a  rec- 
ord of  the  Debates  in  the  Congress  of  the 
Convention  during  the  years  1782- 1787. 
This  manuscript  was  accepted  as  a  na- 
tional work,  and  thirty  thousand  dollars 
paid  for  it.  A  subsequent  act  was  passed 
giving  to  Mrs.  Madison  the  honorary  priv- 
ilege of  a  copyright  in  foreign  countries, 
and  later  on  Congress  bestowed  the  frank- 
ing privilege  upon  her,  and  voted  her  a 
seat  upon  the  floors  of  the  Senate  and 
House,  the  only  lady  to  whom  such  a  dis- 
tinction was  ever  given. 

In  1837  the  physicians  persuaded  her  to 
try  change  of  air  and  scene  by  a  few  weeks 
at  the  White  Sulphur  Springs,  which  had 
a  very  beneficial  effect,  and  on  her  return 
she  writes  to  her  old  friend,  Mr.  Anthony 
Morris :  — 

TO    MR.    ANTHONY   MORRIS. 

MONTPELIER,  Septe7nber  2,  1837. 
Accept  a  thousand  thanks,  dear  friend, 
for  your  two  unanswered  letters,  contain- 
ing the  best  advice  in  the  world,  and  which 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  203 

I  have  followed  as  far  as  I  could  on  my 
visit  to  the  White  Sulphur  Springs,  a  new 
world  to  me,  who  have  never  left  Mont- 
pelier  for  nearly  six  years,  even  for  a  day. 
I  passed  three  or  four  days  at  the  Warm 
Springs,  and  two  weeks  at  the  White  Sul- 
phur, drinking  moderately  of  the  waters, 
and  bathing  my  poor  eyes  a  dozen  times  a 
day.  The  effect  was  excellent.  My  health 
was  strengthened  to  its  former  standing, 
and  my  eyes  grew  white  again  ;  but  in  my 
drive  home  of  six  days  in  the  dust  they 
took  the  fancy  to  relapse  a  little ;  still  I 
cannot  refrain  from  expressing  with  my 
own  pen  (forbidden  by  you)  my  grateful 
sense  of  your  kind  friendship  on  every 
occasion. 

I  met  with  many  relations  and  friends 
on  "  my  grand  tour,"  and  had  every  reason 
to  be  gratified,  but  for  my  own  sad,  impa- 
tient spirit,  which  continually  dwelt  on  my 
duties  at  home  yet  unfinished.  In  truth, 
my  five  weeks'  absence  from  Montpelier 
made  me  feel  as  if  I  had  deserted  my  du- 
ties, and  therefore  was  not  entitled  to  the 
kindness  everywhere  shown  me,  and  so  I 
am  at  home  at  work  again. 


204  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

As  winter  approached  and  Mrs.  Madison 
was  left  alone  with  her  niece,  Anna  Payne, 
the  daughter  of  a  brother  living  in  Ken- 
tucky, the  memories  and  associations  of 
the  place  became  intolerable  to  her,  and 
she  made  up  her  mind  to  spend  the  winter 
months,  which  for  the  first  time  she  found 
desolate  and  dreary  in  the  country,  among 
her  friends  in  Washington.  A  house  on 
the  corner  of  Lafayette  Square  and  H 
Street,  built  by  her  brother-in-law,  Rich- 
ard Cutts,  now  belonged  to  her,  and  there 
she  lived,  enjoying  the  constant  compan- 
ionship of  her  nephews  and  nieces,  every 
winter  until  her  death. 

As  the  time  of  mourning  passed,  her 
house  again  became  filled  with  friends,  and 
she  was  gladly  welcomed  back,  receiving 
almost  as  much  attention  as  she  had  done 
years  before.  On  the  ist  of  January,  the 
Fourth  of  July,  and  every  other  gala  day, 
her  house  was  thrown  open,  and  the  throng 
of  visitors  was  equal  to  that  which  as- 
sembled at  the  White  House.  Friends 
and  strangers  of  all  grades  came,  many  of 
them  bringing  their  children  and  grand- 
children, sure  of  the  individual  interest 
she  took  in  them.     On  these  occasions,  as 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  20$ 

she  became  older,  her  memory  sometimes 
played  her  false,  but  so  gracefully  was  the 
mistake  concealed  or  obviated  that  no  one 
left  her  without  the  most  agreeable  im- 
pressions. 

In  1844  Mrs.  Madison  was  on  board  the 
ill-fated  steamer  Princeton,  when  the  great 
cannon,  called  "  the  Peacemaker,"  ex- 
ploded, and  caused  such  terrible  destruction 
of  life.  She  was  sitting  below  with  some 
ladies,  after  dinner,  when  the  crash  came, 
followed  by  heart-rending  shrieks,  as  one 
person  after  another  was  discovered  to  be 
injured.  With  great  presence  of  mind  she 
went  about  doing  her  best  to  soothe  and 
assist  in  caring  for  the  wounded,  until 
forced  to  go  home;  there  she  found  her 
drawing-room  filled  with  anxious  friends, 
waiting  to  be  assured  of  her  safety.  She 
came  in  quietly,  bowing  gracefully  and 
smiling,  but  unable  to  speak  a  word,  with 
her  heart  full  of  sympathy  for  the  sufferers 
she  had  just  left ;  nor  could  she  ever  after- 
wards trust  herself  to  speak  of  that  terri- 
ble afternoon,  and  she  never  heard  it  men- 
tioned without  turning  pale  and  shudder- 
ing. 

Her  husband's  judgment  and  care  were 


206  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

especially  missed  by  Mrs.  Madison  with 
regard  to  her  pecuniary  affairs ;  accus- 
tomed to  the  most  lavish  hospitality,  she 
was  now,  as  she  said,  "  too  old  to  change 
her  habits,"  and  with  an  expensive  plan- 
tation to  keep  up,  which  for  some  time 
brought  in  no  returns  owing  to  bad  crops, 
and  an  extravagant,  idle  son,  who,  having 
spent  his  own  fortune,  lived  upon  her  fail- 
ing resources,  she  was  in  her  old  age 
obliged  to  sell  the  dearly-loved  Montpelier, 
together  with  the  slaves,  to  Mr.  Moncure, 
of  Richmond. 

Most  of  the  precious  souvenirs  were  re- 
moved to  "  Toddsbirth,"  the  residence  of 
her  son,  Payne  Todd,  and  here  he  intended 
his  mother  to  pass  the  remaining  years  of 
her  life  ;  spending  much  money  in  carry- 
ing out  his  eccentric  ideas  for  her  comfort. 
The  large  house  had  been  burned  down, 
and  several  smaller  ones  were  erected 
around  a  tower-like  building,  containing 
the  ball-room  and  dining-room. 

One  of  these  cottages  was  to  be  for  his 
mother,  which,  in  order  to  obviate  the 
fatigue  of  a  staircase,  she  was  to  enter 
from  the  dining-room  by  a  window.  She 
never  lived  to  see  the  completion  of  this 


OF  MRS.  MADISON.  207 

plan,  money  becoming  very  scarce,  and  was 
always  ready  with  excuses  for  her  son. 
"  My  poor  boy,"  she  would  say  ;  "  forgive 
his  eccentricities,  for  his  heart  is  all  right." 
And  at  another  time  would  make  use  of 
Mr.  Madison's  favorite  quotation  :  — 

.  "  Errors  like  straws  upon  the  surface  flow, 

Those  who  would  seek  for  pearls  must  dive  below." 

Mrs.  Madison  always  attended  St.  John's 
Episcopal  Church  in  after  life,  while  Mr. 
Hawley  was  the  rector,  and  was  baptized 
and  conifirmed  there.  In  writing  to  her 
nephew  she  says  :  — 

"And  now,  my  dear  Richard,  I  must 
tell  you  on  what  our  thoughts  have  dwelt 
a  great  deal  —  and  that  is  to  become  wor- 
thy of  membership  in  the  church  which 
I  have  attended  for  the  last  forty  years, 
and  which  Anna  has  attended  all  her  life. 
Yesterday  this  long-wished-for  confirma- 
tion took  place.  Bishop  Whittingham  per- 
formed the  ceremony,  and  we  had  an  ex- 
cellent sermon  from  the  Bishop  of  New 
Jersey  —  a  fine  preacher  and  beautiful 
champion  for  Charity,  which  *  suspects  not 
nor  thinks  no  evil.'" 

About  this  time  she  had  a  most  provi- 


208  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS 

dential  escape  from  a  fire,  started  by  in- 
cendiaries, who  placed  matches  between 
the  shutters  of  the  hall  window  and  the 
staircase  of  her  house.  As  the  flames 
began  to  ascend  towards  her  room  in  the 
early  morning,  a  neighbor  aroused  the  ser- 
vants, and  the  man,  Ralph,  rushing  towards 
his  mistress'  room,  broke  down  the  door 
and  found  her  quietly  sleeping  in  the  midst 
of  dense  clouds  of  smoke.  "Mistress," 
he  cried,  "  I  have  come  to  save  you,"  and 
awakening  to  the  consciousness  of  dan- 
ger to  her  husband's  letters  and  papers, 
as  more  important  than  her  own  Hfe,  she 
refused  to  leave  until  the  frightened  ser- 
vants secured  them  ;  then  Ralph  seized 
her  in  his  arms,  rushed  down  the  burning 
staircase,  out  of  a  side  door,  and  placed 
her  in  safety  in  a  remote  corner  of  the 
garden.  The  fire  was  soon  extinguished 
by  kind  neighbors,  and  Mrs.  Madison 
laughingly  returned,  clad  in  a  black  velvet 
gown  and  nightcap,  and  with  bare  feet. 

In  1846,  Congress  bought  the  remaining 
letters  and  private  correspondence  of  Mr. 
Madison,  together  with  those  of  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son and  Mr.  Hamilton,  paying  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  in  each  case. 


OF  MRS.   MADISON.  209 

During  the  eighty-third  and  last  year 
of  Mrs.  Madison's  life,  her  mind  seemed 
very  busy  with  the  past.  She  caused  old 
letters  to  be  read  to  her,  which  brought  in 
their  train  memories  and  associations  un- 
known to  those  around  her,  and  though 
her  mind  was  never  clouded,  nor  her  affec- 
tions weakened,  she  suffered  much  from 
debility  and  was  confused  and  wearied  by 
the  conflicting  counsels  around  her.  **  Oh, 
for  my  counselor !  "  she  was  heard  to  say, 
as  if  the  burden  of  life  was  becoming  too 
much  for  the  tired  brain.  A  few  days  be- 
fore her  death  she  said  to  a  niece  who  had 
gone  to  her,  as  usual,  for  sympathy  over 
some  small  grievance  :  — 

*'  My  dear,  do  not  trouble  about  it ;  there 
is  nothing  in  tJiis  world  worth  really 
caring  for.  Yes,"  she  repeated,  looking 
intently  out  of  a  window,  "believe  me,  I, 
who  have  lived  so  long,  repeat'  to  you 
there  is  nothing  in  this  world  here  below 
worth  caring  for."  These  last  days  she 
was  very  fond  of  having  the  Bible  read 
to  her,  and  invariably  asked  for  the  Gos- 
pel of  St.  John,  and  it  was  at  one  of  these 
times  that  her  last  sleep  came  upon  her, 
sleep  so  profound  that  doctors  were  sum- 
14 


2IO  MEMOIRS  AND  LETTERS. 

moned  and  pronounced  it  slow  apoplexy. 
For  two  days  she  lingered  apparently  with- 
out suffering,  waking  only  when  aroused  to 
momentary  consciousness,  when  she  would 
smile  lovingly,  and  put  out  her  arms  to 
embrace  those  whom  she  loved  so  well. 
Several  times  she  murmured  "  My  poor 
boy ! "  as  she  seemed  to  feel  her  son's 
presence  near  her,  and  gently  relapsed 
into  that  long  rest  which  is  peace. 

Her  funeral  took  place  from  St.  John's 
Church,  in  Washington,  and  her  remains 
were  eventually  deposited  in  the  cemetery 
at  Montpelier,  near  the  monument  erected 
over  the  grave  of  her  illustrious  husband. 

Two  years  afterwards  Payne  Todd  died 
from  typhoid  fever,  attended  by  his  moth- 
er's faithful  servants,  and  full  of  grief  for  a 
wasted  life. 


American  statesmen. 

A  Series   of  Biographies  of  Men   coiispictious  in   the 
Political  History  of  the  United  States. 

EDITED   BT 

JOHN  T.  MORSE,  Jr. 


The  object  of  this  series  is  not  merely  to  give  a 
number  of  unconnected  narratives  of  men  in  Ameri- 
can poUtical  life,  but  to  produce  books  which  shall, 
when  taken  together,  indicate  the  lines  of  political 
thought  and  development  in  American  history,  — 
books  embodying  in  compact  form  the  result  of  ex- 
tensive study  of  the  many  and  diverse  influences 
which  have  combined  to  shape  the  political  history  of 
our  country. 

The  volumes  now  ready  are  as  follows :  — 

yohn  Quiftcy  Adams.     By  John  T.  Morse,  Jr. 
Alexander  Hamilton.     By  Henry  Cabot  Lodge. 
yohn  C.  Calhoun.     By  Dr.  H.  von  Holst. 
Andrew  Jackson.     By  Prof.  W.  G.  Sumner. 
John  Randolph.     By  Henry  Adams. 
James  Monroe.     By  Pres.  Daniel  C.  Oilman. 
Thomas  Jefferson.     By  John  T.  Morse,  Jr. 
Daniel  Webster.     By  Henry  Cabot  Lodge. 
Albert  Gallatiti.     By  John  Austin  Stevens. 
James  Madison.     By  Sydney  Howard  Gay, 
John  Adams.     By  John  T.  Morse,  Jr. 
John  Marshall.     By  A.  B.  Magruder. 
Samuel  Adams.     By  James  K.  Hosmer. 

IN  PREPARATION. 
Henry  Clay.     By  Hon.  Carl  Schurz. 
Martin  Van  Buren.     By  Hon.  Wm.  Dorsheimer. 
George  Washington.    By  Henry  Cabot  Lodge. 
Patrick  Henry.    By  MoSES  Coit  Tyler. 

Others  to  be  announced  hereafter.     Each  volume,  i6mo. 
gilt  top,  $1.25. 


ESTIMATES   OF   THE    PRESS 


"JOHN  QUINCY   ADAMS." 

That  Mr.  Morse's  conclusions  will  in  the  main  be  those  of 
posterity  we  have  very  little  doubt,  and  he  has  set  an  admirable 
example  to  his  coadjutors  in  respect  of  interesting  narrative, 
just  proportion,  and  judicial  candor.  —  Neiv  York  Evening 
Post. 

Mr.  Morse  has  written  closely,  compactly,  intelligently,  fear- 
lessly, honestly.  —  New  York  Times. 


"ALEXANDER   HAMILTON." 

The  biography  of  Mr.  Lodge  is  calm  and  dignified  through- 
out. He  has  the  virtue  —  rare  indeed  among  biographers  — 
of  impartiality.  He  has  done  his  work  with  conscientious  care 
and  the  biography  of  Hamilton  is  a  book  which  cannot  have 
too  many  readers.  It  is  more  than  a  biography ;  it  is  a  study 
in  the  science  of  government.  —  St.  Paul  Piojteer-Press. 


"JOHN   C.    CALHOUN." 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  skill  with  which  the  political  career 
of  the  great  South  Carolinian  is  portrayed  in  these  pages.  The 
work  is  superior  to  any  other  number  of  the  series  thus  far,  and 
we  do  not  think  it  can  be  surpassed  by  any  of  those  that  are  to 
come.  The  whole  discussion  in  relation  to  Calhoun's  position 
is  eminently  philosophical  and  just.  —  TTie  Dial  (Chicago). 


"ANDREW  JACKSON." 

Prof.  Sumner  has,  ...  all  in  all,  made  the  justest  long  esti- 
mate of  Jackson  that  has  had  itself  put  between  the  covers  of  a 
book.  —  New  York  Times. 

One  of  the  most  masterly  monographs  that  we  have  ever  had 
the  pleasure  of  reading.  It  is  calm  and  clear.  —  Providence 
yotirnal. 


"JOHN    RANDOLPH." 

The  book  has  been  to  me  intensely  interesting.  ...  It  is 
rich  in  new  facts  and  side  lights,  and  is  worthy  of  its  place  in 
the  already  brilliant  series  of  monographs  on  American  States- 
men.—Prof.  Moses  Coit  Tyler. 

Remarkably  interesting.  .  .  .  The  biography  has  all  the  ele- 
ments of  popularity,  and  cannot  fail  to  be  widely  read.  —  Hart- 
ford Courant. 

"JAMES    MONROE." 

In  clearness  of  style,  and  in  all  points  of  literary  workman- 
ship, from  cover  to  cover,  the  volume  is  well-nigh  perfect. 
There  is  also  a  calmness  of  judgment,  a  correctness  of  taste, 
and  an  absence  of  partisanship  which  are  too  frequently  want- 
ing in  biographies,  and  especially  in  political  biographies.— 
American  Literary  ChiircJwian  (Baltimore). 

The  most  readable  of  all  the  lives  that  have  ever  been  written 
of  the  great  jurist.  —  San  Francisco  Bulletin. 


"THOMAS  JEFFERSON." 

The  book  is  exceedingly  interesting  and  readable.  The  at- 
tention of  the  reader  is  strongly  seized  at  once,  and  he  is  carried 
along  in  spite  of  himself,  sometimes  protesting,  sometimes 
doubting,  yet  unable  to  lay  the  book  down.  —  Chicago  Standard. 

The  requirements  of  political  biography  have  rarely  been 
met  so  satisfactorily  as  in  this  memoir  of  Jefferson.  —  Boston 
Journal. 

"DANIEL  WEBSTER." 

It  will  be  read  by  students  of  history  ;  it  will  be  invaluable  as 
a  work  of  reference  ;  it  will  be  an  authority  as  regards  matters 
of  fact  and  criticism  ;  it  hits  the  key-note  of  Webster's  durable 
and  ever-growing  fame  ;  it  is  adequate,  calm,  impartial  ;  it  is  ad- 
mirable. —  Philadelphia  Press. 

The  task  has  been  achieved  ably,  admirably,  and  faithfully.  — 
Boston  Transcript. 


"ALBERT   GALLATIN." 

It  is  one  of  the  most  carefully  prepared  of  these  very  valu- 
able volumes,  .  .  .  abounding  in  information  not  so  readily  ac- 
cessible as  is  that  pertaining  to  men  more  often  treated  by  the 
biographer.  .  .  .  The  whole  work  covers  a  ground  which  the 
political  student  cannot  afford  to  neglect.  —  Bost07i  Correspom 
dent  Hartford  Coiirant. 

Frank,  simple,  and  straightforward.  —  New  York  Tribune. 

"JAMES   MADISON." 

The  execution  of  the  work  deserves  the  highest  praise.  It  is 
very  readable,  in  a  bright  and  vigorous  style,  and  is  marked  by 
unity  and  consecutiveness  of  plan.  —  The  Nation  (New  York). 

An  able  book.  .  .  .  Mr.  Gay  writes  with  an  eye  single  to  truth. 
—  The  Critic  (New  York). 


"JOHN   ADAMS." 

A  good  piece  of  literary  work.  ...  It  covers  the  ground 
thoroughly,  and  gives  just  the  sort  of  simple  and  succinct  ac- 
count that  is  wanted.  —  Evening  Post  (New  York). 

A  model  of  condensation  and  selection,  as  well  as  of  graphic 
portraiture  and  clear  and  interesting  historical  narrative. — 
Christian  Ititelligencer  (New  York). 


"JOHN   MARSHALL." 

Well  done,  with  simplicity,  clearness,  precision,  and  judg- 
ment, and  in  a  spirit  of  moderation  and  equity.  A  valuable  ad- 
dition to  the  series.  —  New  York  Tribmte. 


"SAMUEL  ADAMS." 

Thoroughly  appreciative  and  sympathetic,  yet  fair  and  criti- 
cal. .  .  .  This  biography  is  a  piece  of  good  work  —  a  clear  and 
simple  presentation  of  a  noble  man  and  pure  patriot;  it  is 
Written  in  a  spirit  of  candor  and  humanity.  —  Worcester  Spy. 

A  brilliant  and  enthusiastic  book,  which  it  will  do  every 
American  much  good  to  read.  —  The  Beacon  (Boston). 

**4^  For  sale  by  all  booksellers.  Sent,  post-paid,  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  the  Publishers, 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN   &   COMPANY, 
Boston  and  New  York. 


